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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27299596">Night of A Thousand Deaths</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/FangamerBowiextreme/pseuds/FangamerBowiextreme'>FangamerBowiextreme</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Labyrinth (1986)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alcohol, Anal Play, F/M, Recreational Drug Use, Shameless Smut, Smut</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 19:07:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>59,799</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27299596</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/FangamerBowiextreme/pseuds/FangamerBowiextreme</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sarah gets ghosted at a Halloween-themed rave. Typical. What's not typical? Goblins falling from the ceiling and a very fae-miliar foe who won't stop gawking at her tits. Halloween one-shot/potential holiday chronical. Rated E for a reason. *wink*</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jareth/Sarah Williams</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>235</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A/N- here's a disgusting Halloween one-shot I wrote in a fever just now. It's 4 am where I am, so I've skipped my usual 10 rounds of editing. I don't think there's any glaring errors...maybe I'll go back and skim through tomorrow =P Oh, and when I say disgusting, I mean gratuitous, intense, 10k+ words of sheer, unadulterated smut. -influenced by the musings of Kellyn1604.  Enjoy.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<hr/><p>
  <strong>Night Of A Thousand Deaths: Samhain</strong>
</p>
<hr/><p>This place was sketchy.</p><p>Like, <em>really</em> sketchy. The kind of over-the-top level suspicious that makes audiences cringe and yell out, "What are you doing?! Don't go in there you idiot!"</p><p>But she was an idiot, apparently. A half-cocked idiot standing alone on the side of the street in cat ears and an even more conspicuous trench coat.</p><p>She swayed as she reached down and pulled out her phone from one of her platformed combat boots.</p><p>"Hey….Rachel?"</p><p>"SARAH!"</p><p>Sarah winced and pulled the phone away from her ear. Aside from Rachel's ear piercing shriek, the sound was accompanied by a level of drunken jubilation the speaker of her phone was not equipped to handle.</p><p>"Jesus—" Sarah said, staggering back after quite nearly losing her balance. "What are you doing? Where even are you?"</p><p>A cackle or two echoed from the phone before any actual reply.</p><p>"Oh calm your tits. I'm leaving now."</p><p>"Wait —You haven't even left yet?!"</p><p>Sarah's voice raised with outrage as she turned in a small circle, closing her eyes tightly as she repelled the emotion. Goddammit Rachel...this was just like her..</p><p>"Relaaaaxxxxx. I'll be on the expressway in a minute—five—ten minutes tops."</p><p>Sarah scowled down at the ground as she pinched the bridge of her nose.</p><p>"You said to meet up at nine. This place is creepy as fuck and it's already dark out. What the hell am I supposed to do, wait on the corner in these hooker heels until you show up?"</p><p>"Pfft. Hooker heels—"</p><p>"Rachel—"</p><p>"Chill! I already gave you your ticket, didn't I? Just go in without me. I'll be there in like, twenty minutes."</p><p>"Twenty minutes," Sarah repeated, deadpan. "Who's driving you?"</p><p>"Jesus, Sarah, you're worse than my mom. I got a cab, alright?"</p><p>"Did you?"</p><p>"Well….I mean...I'm flagging one down anyway."</p><p>"You didn't call ahead?!" Sarah's arms flew up in exasperation and she twirled around dramatically. "Rachel, it's nine pm on freaking Halloween. You're not the only drunk bimbo in need of chauffeuring. It'll be a miracle if you get here before midnight—"</p><p>"It'll be fine," Rachel cut her off, her tone carefree and totally ignorant of Sarah's growing vexation. "Look, I just got a cab. Hear that? *click* Opening the door now. I'll be there soon. Just go in and scope the place out for me."</p><p>"Yeah, about that…." Sarah said, her head slowly turning upward at the shifty-ass warehouse the address on her ticket had directed her to. She glanced down at the wrinkled piece of paper she still held before continuing. "Are you sure about this place? Where did you say you got these tickets from again? It looks like one of those sets dumb bitches like us go to get murdered."</p><p>"The best joints always do," Rachel replied. Sarah snorted. "I told you I won them off the radio, remember? Don't worry. I looked 'em up. This party is s'posed to be super swanky and exclusive. Totally reputable."</p><p>Sarah's mouth hung open in distaste as her eyes gradually lifted from the single, iron-barred door in front of her to the (not at all worrying) giant, half-lit sign blinking, in bright neon-red nonetheless, the words "The Gate". She was the only one on the street, and had been since her cab had dropped her off. She was the only thing making any kind of noise —save the high pitched trill of struggling, highly corroded electrical work doing it's damn-well-best to keep that mighty letter A from going under. Well, at least it matched the name on her ticket.</p><p>"If you say so…" she mumbled. "I wish you would have told me you were going to be late though. I would have just stayed and hung out at the bar."</p><p>"Pffft. Bars are lame," Rachel said, obnoxiously. "I bet there were….three skeevy dudes trying to pinch your ass in that suit and play it off like it's suddenly no biggie because it's Halloween?"</p><p>Sarah rolled her eyes.</p><p>"Well...you're not wrong—"</p><p>"See? It's time we hit up some place a bit more upscale. You're better off sniffing out some real men and getting a couple prime cuts of meat for the two of us instead."</p><p>Sarah stared vacantly at a swatch of duct tape that was serving as a windowpane in the facade of this supposedly <em>upscale joint</em>.</p><p>"Wow. You should write this stuff down."</p><p>Her tone was dead but the implied sarcasm wouldn't have phased Rachel anyway.</p><p>"Oh I do," she said, proudly. "I keep a little notebook up my ass n' everything." Sarah shook her head as she grinned. "But seriously, it's going to be great. Enough dilly dallying already. Go get in there before someone really does mistake you for a hooker. I'll be there soon."</p><p>Sarah's grin stretched in spite of herself.</p><p>"Alright," she said, with a sigh. "Fine. But you better be here soon. Bye."</p><p>Sarah snapped her phone shut and shoved it back into her boot —a far more flattering alternative to the usual cleavage— and stared up at that creepy sign once more. It was getting colder out and there was moisture in the air. It condensed on the neon tubing, which turned to beads of light that quickly streamed downward to trickle onto the toe of her shoe.</p><p>She sighed once more and looked back at the door. Why the hell were there bars on it? If this place was so swanky, where the hell was the hostess or the line of eager ravers clamoring to get in? This didn't seem right….hm…</p><p>Maybe if she wasn't already drunk, she would have listened to her instincts. Oh well.</p><p>"<em>The Gate</em>, huh? Doesn't sound so bad…" she mumbled, smoothing out her hair and straightening her ears before reaching for the door. It opened a few inches but was heavier than expected, and actually pulled her forward as it closed itself shut. Sarah huffed, glaring daggers at the thing, then planted her feet and tried again. This time it opened readily, screaming on its hinges in a way that made her suspect it hadn't been opened in quite some time...oh geez.</p><p>The door revealed behind it a darkened corridor. Sarah stared down into its depths, scowling intently. Unfortunately, she'd already stepped inside and, by the will of Odin it seemed, the fucking door slammed itself shut again. She jumped from the echo of the rumbling <em>boom!</em> it created, and took a tiny step further inside.</p><p>"Goddamn it Rachel...I better not get murdered because of you…"</p><p>To make the situation worse, upon the shutting of the door did a string of haphazardly hung icicle lights turn on and illuminate her path. She should have been thankful. But, as she got a gander at the cracked, mildewed wallpaper and dust-crusted cobwebs decorating the space, she thought maybe she would have preferred to wander blindly.</p><p>Her footsteps echoed against a concrete floor as she traveled further into what she presumed was hell. That detached sense of concern became fully validated by what the hall eventually let out to.</p><p>It started as a glow. A dark, red light that gradually brightened as she drew near. There was a hint of fog in the air, which became more and more dense, and made it hard for her to distinguish what she was seeing.</p><p>She swatted at the air as she entered a foyer, curling her lip at the surprising, and distinct, taste of cotton candy that it left on her tongue.</p><p>The room was circular, with red padded walls and a mirrored ceiling. The floor had been painted with a black and white spiral, which twisted towards the base of a black desk that stood in the center. There were long bands of pink neon lights rimming the ceiling which, combined with the fog, gave the room a very weighted feeling.</p><p>Sarah paused with a look of what the fuck as she peered around the room. There was a woman standing behind the desk. She was dressed as a blue fairy and looked to have been spray painted from head to toe with glitter.</p><p>The woman smiled from ear to ear, adjusting her bright red, wing-tipped glasses, and ushered her forward.</p><p>"Hello there," she said, in a very light, affectionate tone. Sarah took a step but hesitated.</p><p>"Uh…"</p><p>"Welcome to The Gate," the woman continued, with an odd enunciation. Sarah wondered if she was an automaton. "Do you have a ticket?"</p><p>Sarah turned her head with a very skeptical eye. What the fuck? What the hell was this place? Clutching the throat of her trench coat, Sarah gulped and stepped towards the desk.</p><p>"Um...yeah. For the Halloween party, right?" she asked, laying out her crumpled ticket on the counter between them. The woman's toothy smile softened to a grin as she pulled the ticket back.</p><p>"Of course," she replied, then loudly stamped a big red VOID onto the ticket. Sarah tried not to fidget as she waited.</p><p>Beyond the desk Sarah spied on a curtain made of red ribbons, either side of which being guarded by what she presumed were some very over-zealous bouncers. They were dressed in all black and stood like statues.</p><p>"So um...what kind of place is this, exactly?" she asked. The woman looked up from her desk and smiled once more.</p><p>"The fun kind," she said, eerily. Sarah inwardly cringed. <em>Oh, because that's not a red flag or anything…</em> "How old are you?"</p><p>Sarah twitched and blinked dumbly.</p><p>"Huh?"</p><p>The woman, with long glittered lashes, blinked at her slowly as she tilted her head.</p><p>"Your age," she clarified, then held up a black permanent marker. "Are you over twenty-one? Otherwise I'll need to mark your hand."</p><p>"Oh. Yes. I am," Sarah awkwardly responded. Wow. She hadn't been asked that in a while. The woman set the marker down.</p><p>"That's excellent. I'll just need to see some ID."</p><p>"Right. Hold on—" Sarah said as she, very ungracefully, bent down to pull her driver's license out of her other boot. "Here ya go," she said, offering it to the hostess and waiting an awkward 17 seconds while she very closely inspected it.</p><p>"Very good, Miss Williams. Now, would you mind removing your coat?"</p><p>Once again, Sarah just blinked. Damn. Did she pregame too hard? Why the hell was she reacting so slowly?</p><p>"Um...why?" she countered.</p><p>"This is a costumed event. I need to verify you are properly attired, or else I cannot let you in," the hostess explained.</p><p>"Oh. Gotcha," Sarah replied, promptly unbuttoning her trench. Being alone and awkward made her surprisingly self-conscious once removing her coat, or maybe it was because of the way this perky little receptionist was leaning over her counter to inspect her with a very...discernable level of interest.</p><p>"Hm...now that's fun," she said, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose as she leaned back onto her stool. Sarah's eyes darted from left to right.</p><p>"Thanks…"</p><p>"Would you like to check your coat before you enter?"</p><p>"Uh...sure?"</p><p>By the time Sarah could inflect a question, the woman lifted a hand and gestured towards the side. Sarah's attention followed reflexively, and she gave a little jolt to find there was another dark-clothed man now standing directly beside her.</p><p>She stared up at him meekly while offering him her coat, wondering (but not asking) where and how she would go about getting it back.</p><p>"Thank you for your patience, Miss Williams," the hostess said, with that same cheerfully sterile tone. Sarah glanced back worriedly. "You may head on through now. Please, enjoy yourself. And welcome to The Gate."</p><p>The woman turned with a raised hand towards the exit behind her, though Sarah wasn't exactly feeling <em>welcomed</em>. She thought about backpedaling and cursing Rachel the whole way home, but the allure of what could possibly be behind those ribbons was having its way with her.</p><p>It was apt that she'd dressed as a cat. Curiosity had always been her downfall.</p><p>She left the desk fairy behind and passed through the archway. The guards beside her were unresponsive. The one who'd taken her coat now nowhere to be found. Which was strange considering...there were no other doors.</p><p>But, before she could ponder that impossibility, her inebriated self pushed forward into the abyss.</p><p>She was in another hallway. Although this one was wider and far more reassuring. It boasted a black and white tiled floor and the same pink lighting from the foyer. The walls were speckled with mirrors of various sizes and shapes and, as Sarah passed them by, she caught herself thinking that neon pink was a very good look on her.</p><p>At the end of the hall were a set of padded doors. She could feel a vibration coming from beyond them —the faint humming of music and chatter. The latch clicked loudly as she turned it and, feeling a lot like Alice about to plummet down the rabbit hole, opened herself up to any such ludicrous possibility.</p><p>To both her relief and odd dismay, the place she entered next was not filled with a cluster fuck of time and space. At least, not literally.</p><p>The padding on the door and the walls had done their job well, as the moment to door inched open Sarah was hit with a deafening wave of sound. Music. Thrumming base. Loud and relentlessly uptempo. It sounded like techno, something familiar and evocative. The tremor of the base coursed through the floor and up her toes, inciting excitement as she stepped across the threshold and into the fray.</p><p>It was a rave. A typical, if not completely deranged, rave. Sarah sighed at the sight of it.</p><p>This room was also round, with a step or two in front of her leading down into the dance pit. It was absolutely filled with bodies. Filled with glittering, sweating, phosphorescent, highly animated bodies grooving and gyrating with one another. From here, Sarah determined the source of the fog —a river of clouds tumbling from smoke machines on either side of a DJ booth directly across from her on the far side of the room. The fog dissipated as it lifted into the air, creating a blanket over the dancers whose forms were rendered wet and silhouetted. Against the walls and rafters in the ceiling were a variety of different colored lights, each shifting between rainbow tones in time with the music. An array of bright green lasers fanned the pit, artifacting through the fog and dancers in a dazzling reflection of the energy below.</p><p>To the right she spied a bar, lit by pale blue neon and lined in mirrors. To the left was a stairwell, currently sectioned off, which led to a loft overlooking the dance floor.</p><p>Sarah felt her pulse quickening as she took at all in. This looked legit. Huh. Maybe Rachel was right after all.</p><p>With a sway in her hips, Sarah stepped down into the crowd. There were booths set up along the rim of the dance floor, many of their occupants dazed and weary. She saw many empty glasses and puddles of spilled drinks, the hands that once held them too distracted with the groping of thighs, and the mouths that once sipped from them now more delighted by the taste of a stranger's tongue. She heard a sharp sniff and peered over at a man in a pirate hat snorting something off the tabletop while a pair of women, both dressed as naughty nurses, watched eagerly. Sarah arched a brow as she passed by many such scenarios, remarking on the way none of them were even slightly concerned with being discreet. Hm, so it was <em>that</em> kind of place eh? The <em>fun</em> kind. Seemed the <em>fun</em> had started without her. And here she'd thought nine was too early to go clubbing.</p><p>After getting a good look around the place, Sarah stopped and debated her next move. Heading to the bar was probably a safe bet. She should be able to spot Rachel pretty easily from over there—</p><p>She glanced back reflexively when her shoulder was very firmly tapped.</p><p>"Excuse me, would you like a sample?"</p><p>Sarah turned around to find herself accosted by a very perky female zombie. She flaunted bouncy, curly pigtails flicked with dye of blue and green, and a pushup bra that was definitely giving her its money's worth. She held a tray of pink, plastic drink cups balanced on one hand, and smiled at her very widely. Sarah's eyes flickered from the glow the blacklight had given her teeth, down to the samples in question and back up again. Then her brow quirked skeptically.</p><p>"Um, what is it?" she asked.</p><p>"Jungle juice. House specialty."</p><p>Sarah's eyes narrowed on instinct.</p><p>"Yeah...rave one-oh-one: never drink the punch," she said. The waitress frowned but, before she could respond, a pair and stumbling honeybees thrust themselves between them.</p><p>"Oh yay! We found her! More punch!" one girl exclaimed, fiercely grabbing hold of two cups for herself before looking over at Sarah with a lazy grin. "I hear ya sister, I was a little skeptical too. I mean, you just never know what they put in this stuff. I got the lowdown from the bartender though. Definitely safe. Promise. You gotta try it. It's fucking uh-may-zing," she said and then forced one of her cups into Sarah's grasp. The drink splashed all over her hands, which made both busy bees go <em>oops!</em> and giggle. Then they both ducked and turned away, nearly tripping over each other as they hobbled —their springy pom-pom feelers bouncing wildly all the while. Sarah watched them for a moment before inspecting the glowy, pink liquid in her now nearly empty cup.</p><p>"Well, there's some marketing for you. They had me at fucking," she said and, because she really didn't care at this point, shot the whole thing. She drew back as it glided over her tongue, as the flavor —sweeter than sugar— sent her whole mouth a-tingling. It was crisp, like melted candy but cold as ice. ...Fuck.</p><p>Sarah just stared into her cup. What the hell kind of punch….?</p><p>The woman holding the tray stared at Sarah very excitedly, licking her lips as her smile gained new life.</p><p>"Good, isn't it?" she asked. Sarah glanced over. "Would you like another?"</p>
<hr/><p>Before she knew it, Sarah found herself carrying around her third free sample. It was difficult to explain. It was delicious, yes, but something else too. Every sip she took made her want to take another. She never made it to the bar, instead entranced by the light show and various costumed ghouls she saw prancing about. The colors looked brighter somehow. The fog...moving slower. She felt a little concerned when a heat started building in her eyes, and from that had very little doubt that this drink was laced with something. ...oh well.</p><p>There were platforms stationed in various places throughout the dance pit, and Sarah mindlessly watched the painted gogo dancers provocatively flaunting themselves atop them. They wore brightly colored fur boots and bedazzled lingerie. All donned pointed ears just like her own, so she assumed they were kinky kittens like her too. Geez, it was amazing what passed for a costume these days.</p><p>To keep things festive, Sarah noted the oddly placed decoration here or there. There were artificial cobwebs stretched between rafters and other useless negative spaces, where large, glittery spiders with light up eyes watched her. There were a few over-the-top figures of grim reapers and menacing pumpkin-heads erected a good twelve feet tall, overlooking the passersby. On the tables, tossed on the floor, and hanging all along the half-wall that formed the dance pit, were stuffed cryptids and critters, furry, and all expressing the same lifeless grin. A few of the dancers had taken to tossing such toys, their round little silhouettes bouncing back and forth over the crowd like balloons.</p><p>They reminded her of something...goblins.</p><p>It was as the very thought formed that she swore she saw one of them twitch. Sarah blinked rapidly and readjusted her focus. What the fuck? Her mind must be paying tricks on her. ...She took another drink.</p><p>The music coursed through her in low tones that made her feet feel as though they were melting into the floor...and then another goblin moved.</p><p>Sarah took a step back and glared sharply to the side. Now that time she <em>knew</em> she'd seen something. And not just a twitch. A scurry. She scoured the crowd for wherever the hell it'd run off to.</p><p>Her eyes strained as she compulsively took another sip.</p><p>Cackling.</p><p>Sarah whipped her head around as the all too familiar, and dreadful, sound of goblin laughter resound from behind her. She looked all around, but there was nothing. The scene was just too busy. There was too much to see.</p><p>Feeling her heart starting to pound, Sarah pressed a hand down the side of her face and moved to a different part of the room. She was hallucinating. She had to be. There was no fucking way that…</p><p>There were goblins. Everywhere.</p><p>Sarah stood in the middle of the dance floor, shoulder to shoulder with things that weren't always human. The decorations which she'd mused had been watching her, now actually were. Dozens of creeping goblins hung on ropes and swung from the rafters as the truth of her surroundings unveiled itself. They giggled with wicked glee, taking some sort of weird satisfaction from simply watching the revelry below. Sarah licked her lips and clenched her cup in her hand. For some reason, she was still drinking it.</p><p>The heat in her eyes escalated, and now some of the faces near her were blurring. Was she just that drunk? Was she having a bad trip? No...no she definitely wasn't high. Something else was happening. Something—</p><p>A blurred face passed by her, and as she stared it came into focus. What she saw didn't make sense. Pointed ears. Real pointed ears. And markings around their eyes that—</p><p>Oh god.</p><p>Fuck no.</p><p>In a panic, Sarah pushed her way out of the crowd. She couldn't believe it. A part of her still didn't. But it was too much. There was no way this was possible. That she was...surrounded by fae.</p><p>In a panic, she reached down and pulled out her phone, quickly dialing Rachel.</p><p>"Hey—Rach?" Sarah yelled, pressing a finger into one ear to hear better.</p><p>"Sarah! Hey I was just about to call you!" Rachel yelled back. Sarah turned around in circles as she cautiously made her way towards the edge of the crowd.</p><p>"Rachel, where are you? I gotta tell you—"</p><p>"Huh? Sarah I can't hear you, the music is too loud. But hey, listen, I think I'm gonna have to bail tonight—"</p><p>"What? Why? What happened?"</p><p>"Nothing happened!" Rachel yelled reassuringly. "But I think you were right. Traffic is brutal right now. The expressway is backed up for miles. I don't think I'll be able to get there any time soon—"</p><p>"What? Good. No, no, that's okay. Just turn around when you can and go home. This place is a bust anyway." She tried to sound nonchalant but there was a waver in her voice. She felt like eyes were starting to fall on her. To notice her noticing them...</p><p>"Really? Are you serious? What the fuck. That place was supposed to be awesome!" Rachel replied.</p><p>"Yeah. I told you the building looked sketchy. Listen, I'm gonna leave soon. I'll take the train and meet you back at your place. Alright? This place is definitely...some kind of trap."</p><p>No sooner was that final word uttered did the music stop, did all sounds stop. Sarah looked up, pitifully clutching the phone to her ear as half the crowd turned and shot glares straight at her.</p><p>Oh. Fuck.</p><p>"Alright. I'll call you when I get off of here. We can still watch movies and get fat or something. See you soon!"</p><p>Rachel hung up before she could respond, but Sarah had already left the conversation. Her attention, entirely, was focused on the faerie beings whom she'd apparently triggered. Shit. So much for sneaking her way out—</p><p>"A trap, is it? My, you would say something so...banal."</p><p>Sarah, cringing as a voice at her back sent her reeling to a time she loathed to remember, forced herself to stand as tall as possible as she clicked her phone shut and turned around to face it.</p><p>Their eyes locked. His brightened. She paled.</p><p>"How did you even get in here?" Jareth asked, a hint of derision curling an otherwise highly amused grin.</p><p>Sarah gulped. Fucking fuck. Seriously? How the hell? No. No that didn't matter. What mattered was why. Why the fuck was <em>he</em> here? What did he want? What was he <em>planning</em>?</p><p>"I had a ticket," Sarah answered, defensively. Jareth huffed with laughter, angling his head to one side as he raked his eyes over her from ear to toe.</p><p>"Of course you did," he said. His hair was pulled back, smoothed into a long ponytail that draped over one shoulder. He reached up and sifted a hand through it in a provocative gesture as he spoke. Sarah tried not to lick her lips, suddenly nervous for reasons she'd never expected. He looked different from how she remembered. In...a multitude of ways.</p><p>Despite the messy bangs that framed his face, his current look lacked all traces of the 80s glam she'd anticipated. He wore surprisingly modern black slacks and a white dress shirt, unbuttoned in the chest to reveal an inviting shadow of pectoral muscle. There were hints of his usual style in the red velvet vest and high collared dress coat he wore over it, but all in all she was thrown. He looked more like a Bram Stoker dandy than a Goblin King. But then again, it had been twelve years since they'd last seen each other. A little change was to be expected.</p><p>Jareth caught the way she was regarding him and let her have her fill, taking the moment to do the same. She'd become quite voluptuous in their years apart, such delectable curves incapable of being ignored by the accent of the skin-tight, all-too-revealing, latex bodysuit she presently wore. The ambient light painted her blue, with sharp white highlights reflecting off her breasts and hips. Her thighs were exposed, their shape fractured by the lines of garters which clipped onto sheer black stockings. Keeping her all together was a painfully strained zipper leading up the front, naturally (and by now regretfully), unzipped just enough to provide, for his viewing satisfaction, a very invasive amount of cleavage. The last thing he spied was a complementary headband erecting a pair of fuzzy little ears atop her head. Hm. Cute.</p><p>He took a step towards her and cocked a brow at her. "As delightful as it is seeing you again, and in such an erotic ensemble nonetheless, please tell me you're not here to ruin another one of my parties?"</p><p>Sarah's eyes darted, glancing around at all of the surrounding fae still staring at her in quiet impatience. The humans clinging to them had become dazed, idling it seemed, until the party was fit to resume.</p><p>Sarah, doing her best to recover from his ambush, puffed up her chest and stared him square in the eye.</p><p>"That depends...on what it is you've got going on here," she said, warily, just now realizing it was stupid of her to have closed her phone. It was probably too late to dial 911…</p><p>Jareth glanced around the room and shrugged.</p><p>"What does it look like?" he asked, then dared to come closer still. Sarah angled her feet away on instinct but held her ground. His footsteps resounded far too loudly against the tiled floor, only reminding her of just how precarious her situation had become. The sudden silence of the room left a ringing in her ears, a kind of vacuum she half-hoped might actually suck her away to someplace, any place, else. Oh, if only.</p><p>"It looks like...you're having your way with unsuspecting humans," she said. He stood mere inches from her now, looking downward and most definitely into her cleavage. Sarah crossed her arms to cover herself up, fiercely regretting her choice of attire.</p><p>"Well, <em>I'm</em> certainly not."</p><p>His eyes on hers were daring and had far too much fun with her. Sarah felt a near tangible tingle radiate in the space between them because of it. He smelled good. He looked good. This was bad. She was way too fucking drunk for this.</p><p>"What's the level of consent here, exactly? What have you done to these people?"</p><p>Jareth's wry grin steeled in place. That couldn't be good.</p><p>"We do nothing they do not want. That is kind of the point of these things," he said, and subtly gestured towards the more darkened corners of the room. Sarah turned and inspected them closely. The humans were indeed under some kind of influence, but...so were the fae. They all had a glazed-over look in their eye and, the longer Sarah kept them abstained, the more uncomfortable she realized all of them were becoming. The energy of the room felt restless. Charged. Sarah had no idea what to make of it.</p><p>"I don't understand…you can't tell me they're not under some spell."</p><p>She went on edge when he started laughing again. Even more so when he raised a hand and snapped his fingers. In an instant the music resumed, and the ravers forgot all about her.</p><p>The revelry picked up like it had never stopped, and suddenly she was surrounded yet alone under Jareth's indiscernible scrutiny. He never answered her question, so she posed another.</p><p>"What's going on Jareth? Why are you and your people here?"</p><p>"Why so serious, love?" he asked, facetiously, and began to pace around her. "We're entertaining. Obviously."</p><p>"I don't understand—"</p><p>"A heroine like you wouldn't," Jareth interrupted, with some admonishment. Sarah glared back at him sharply.</p><p>"Excuse me?"</p><p>She flinched back after realizing just how close he'd come, her brow twisting in perplexion when he sniffed her hair before pulling back.</p><p>"What are you supposed to be, exactly?" he asked, changing directions. "The invitations were supposed to say costume party, not sex dungeon," he added, plucking at one of her curled locks as he prowled behind her back. Sarah shivered from the sensation and stood more stiffly. "Not that I'm complaining. The years have been more than kind to you." He released her curl to lightly brush his hand against her lower back as he made his way around her. Sarah ignored the obvious incitement...as best she could anyway. "The latex is unexpected though. And the garters...and the boots. It took me a minute to recognize you."</p><p>Sarah's crossed arms tightened even more, the material hugging her limbs crinkling from the motion.</p><p>"I could say the same. What are you supposed to be? A vampire?" she spoke haughtily but it did not phase him. He merely shrugged and lifted his hands.</p><p>"I hear they're making a comeback," he said, and nodded upward at her ears. "So?"</p><p>Sarah scowled as she looked away.</p><p>"I'm a cat. Geez," she said, petulantly.</p><p>"Ah. Of course," he replied, in a much cooler tone, then conspicuously leaned around her. "I see the ears but...wherever is your tail?"</p><p>Sarah shifted her stance, now hating how much of her ass her outfit exposed.</p><p>"Right here," she said, then grasped a prop latched to her hip. Jareth's eyes flickered down, and a brow arched yet again.</p><p>"That's a whip," he pointed out. Sarah arched a brow right back.</p><p>"Exactly."</p><p>Their eyes locked in an unnamed challenge, the provocation of which created a tick in Jareth's ghostly grin. It stretched on one side, devilishly.</p><p>"How adorable."</p><p>"Are you going to tell me what the hell this all is?" Sarah snapped. Her fingers curled into her biceps and a hip jutted to the side. Jareth's eyes couldn't help but trace that curve. "Can these people see the goblins? Do they even know what you are?"</p><p>Jareth took his time in responding, quite clearly distracted by her figure.</p><p>"No. Just you."</p><p>"How? I couldn't see them when I first got here."</p><p>With a tiny sigh, Jareth withdrew his attention from her outfit and met her in the eye.</p><p>"You drank the punch," he said, ominously, then tisked a finger at her. "Don't you know you should <em>never</em> drink the punch?"</p><p>Sarah scoffed and rolled her eyes.</p><p>"Cut to the chase, Jareth."</p><p>"Gods you're boring," he said, rolling his own eyes. Sarah felt herself puffing up again. "You are also a Champion. Immune to fae magics," he continued, and wiggled a finger at her. "A defense which I assume was activated after imbibing our liquor. It's what allowed you to break through the glamour. Congratulations." He sounded exceedingly lackluster, which was fine by her. Sarah's arms uncrossed as she inspected her empty cup.</p><p>"What? Glamour? So this drink—"</p><p>"Oh relax. It's harmless," Jareth said, dismissively. Sarah scowled again.</p><p>"It's an enchantment. You drugged them all and are coercing them into...into your sick debauchery. That's hardly harmless," she said, disdainfully. Jareth huffed and crossed his arms.</p><p>"Says the woman dressed as a dominatrix." He was smiling but Sarah didn't see what was so funny. After a moment of enduring her glare, Jareth broke the tension by stepping around her and grasping her by the shoulders. "So tense," he said, laughing at the way her body froze under his touch. "Perhaps you should have another drink." She made a distasteful <em>tch</em> sound and kept her face angled strictly away from him. While such attitude was enough to kill even the most persistent buzz, presently Jareth found such aversion to be very entertaining. He stroked the tip of a finger over her ear, brushing back her hair, just to provoke her even further as he said, "lay down your whip, little kitten, there is no coercion happening here."</p><p>There was something pacifying in his voice, maybe because it came so low and so close to her ear. It rumbled in sync with the music and Sarah…</p><p>"The drink does carry an enchantment," Jareth continued, moving away to take his original place in front of her. "—but there is no compulsion. The only benefit is to those who drink it." She stared at him confusedly, so he explained. "It merely...allows us better access to those deepest pleasures one may feel...hesitant to otherwise express."</p><p>Sarah's eyes narrowed suspiciously before glancing around the room. The party was going just as hard as when she'd arrived, though was no more out of control despite the presence of goblins. Those who were not out of breath on the dance floor were laughing in booths. Everyone looked to be enjoying themselves...immensely.</p><p>"So...it's laced with magic ecstasy?" Sarah asked, with a wince. Jareth's grin widened impulsively.</p><p>"Now you're getting it."</p><p>"But…" she muttered, confused and in denial that this might actually be a legitimate party. Her brow knitted very tightly as she said, "Those stupors...a lot of those people have no idea what's going on—"</p><p>"And?" Jareth cut her off, impatiently. He looked rather stern when they crossed gazes. "It's an open bar. What do you expect?"</p><p>"Then why hide the goblins? Why hide your true faces?"</p><p>Gods, she really wasn't backing down from this, was she? It took all of Jareth's self control not to groan.</p><p>"Because there is a lot of recreational drug use happening around you, love. Just like you, I cannot stop goblins from crashing this event. But, unlike you, most of your kind tend to balk when confronted with the actual supernatural, and inciting terror trips seems a bit counterproductive, wouldn't you say?" Sarah did not respond. Only stared with those large, intensely lined eyes. Realizing he may have sounded a little impatient, he inhaled slowly before continuing. "I know it's in your nature, but please try to lower that self-righteous bias from your eyes. There is nothing nefarious happening here. Just good, old-fashioned comradery."</p><p>"You mean magic-opioid driven sex fest."</p><p>Her stare was unwavering but the tone of her voice was noticeably more passive. Jareth's lips twitched as he replied, "As I said, <em>old-fashioned</em>."</p><p>His eyes moved up and down her once more, analyzing her defensive posture in contrast to the fact that she had yet to call in the banners. Perhaps she was more curious than she cared to admit? Perhaps he should call her bluff.</p><p>He angled himself away from her but stared, very shrewdly, out of the corner of his eye.</p><p>"You're more than welcome to leave you know...or stay," he said, then casually flagged over a waiter and took up a glass he was offered. "The more the merrier, as it were. Samhain is really an auspicious night for both our species. Past adversity aside, I welcome you to the fray." He downed a shot of whiskey and turned his back fully. He took a step away from her. Just one.</p><p>"Why is it auspicious?" she asked. Jareth's grin etched into the shadows covering his face. Oh, a curious kitten indeed. When he turned back around, such deviousness was well concealed.</p><p>"Surely you know?" he asked, mockingly. "Surely one who has traversed in alternate realms and dabbled in precarious magics has done her research on something as mainstream as Samhain?"</p><p>He spoke with an air of pretension that transcended any amount of time or changing fashion trend and rendered him completely, one hundred percent recognizable. Sarah narrowed her eyes as the image of his smug grin melded with a memory, and inhaled slowly through her nose.</p><p>"Humor me."</p><p>Oh, such conviction. Such a hardened expression crafted specifically for him. If it weren't for the way her breasts lifted on that frustrated inhale, he might have had a more antagonistic reaction to it.</p><p>"The Gate," he said, and pointed at a neon sign high on a wall stating such. "Or <em>the veil</em>, I should say. The barrier that separates our two worlds? It thins on the night of Samhain. As you've experienced, ordinarily my kind must be summoned and a contract formed in order to appear on this plane. But, on this night —and only this night— we may pass freely to and fro." He wove a hand back and forth in a very fluid motion. Sarah's eyes couldn't help but fixate. There was something familiar there. "We choose to celebrate this metaphysical unbridling by...well, physically unbridling...each other."</p><p>Sarah cringed a little at his choice of words, having been able to paint herself a picture well enough without said imagery. But still, when compared to the events taking place behind her, he wasn't speaking with much analogy.</p><p>"So it's a human-faerie free for all? Just...partying and fucking until the sun comes up?" she asked. The shift in Jareth's expression let her know he was now laughing <em>at</em> her.</p><p>"So caught up on the fucking, Sarah dear. Heavy petting I will concur, but where do you see any such depravity? Perhaps that outfit is a cry for help. Is there something on your mind?" he asked. If the ambient light wasn't fading from green to purple, he would have seen her blush. Sarah's chest puffed up in offense and she growled a little.</p><p>"And after tonight? What happens then?" she asked, refusing to dignify him with a response. Jareth's grin humbled. She was being very thorough. Did that mean she was planning to stay?</p><p>"We go back to our world," he said. Sarah looked over.</p><p>"That's it?"</p><p>"That's it."</p><p>"And the humans?"</p><p>Jareth shrugged and crossed his arms. He was starting to get a little bored now.</p><p>"Hopefully they are left fully satiated until the same time next year. Why are you so suspicious? Have I ever lied to you?"</p><p>An unexpected and unwelcome flare of angst accompanied that question, though who it belonged to was anyone's guess. Sarah opened her mouth but didn't respond right away. This was the first time they'd crossed paths in over a decade. The first opportunity they'd been given confront what happened between them—</p><p>"No…" she mumbled, feeling suddenly insecure with the way she was regarding him. She'd challenged him just now unquestioningly —as his equal— with complete disregard to who and what he was. There was a sense of intimacy poised in that. And, apparently, from the way he was also regarding her, he'd noticed it too.</p><p>"Well then?" he asked, his voice lowered but still guarded. "Do what you want. I really don't care. Just try not to be a spoilsport for everyone else, eh? Most of these people paid good money to be here."</p><p>"Wait, you charged for this?" she asked. Jareth, on the precipice of leaving, paused and raised a brow at her. "Why the hell do you need Aboveground money?"</p><p>"To rent the venue of course," he said, with a scoff. "To pay for the gratuitous amount of alcohol you see being passed around you and a very generous amount of liability insurance. You didn't think I sprung this up without gaining the proper permits, did you?"</p><p>Sarah stared at him like he'd just spoken in tongues. Well, that was not something she expected to hear. Picking up on her confusion, he huffed in amusement and inclined his head towards her.</p><p>"So what will it be, pretty kitty? Will you run? Or be dared to stay? Don't tell me you're not just a little bit curious. You've certainly dressed the part."</p><p>Sarah stared as indecision left her incapable of responding. She looked flustered. A little flushed. Definitely glassy-eyed. Together it painted a picture he could not help but take enjoyment from. She'd had how many drinks and was still able to confront him so coherently? Good for her, he thought.</p><p>Still, this was getting redundant and he had better things to do. He caught the hip of a passing fairy and pulled her to his side.</p><p>"Have fun, kitten. I know I will."</p><p>The teeny blonde fairy giggled when he reached up and pinched her chin, and it was a show of lechery that had Sarah sneering. He turned and left her after that, with a wide grin kept solely on his arm piece.</p><p>Sarah glared. She didn't know why she was glaring, but she was suddenly pissed. She turned around sharply and flipped open her phone.</p><p>Rachel's line rang twice then went to voicemail.</p><p>"Hey, it's me. Sorry to do this but I'm going to hang out here a little longer. I'll make it up to you next time. Don't wait up."</p><p>*Click*</p><p>Sarah stared at the blackened screen of her phone for a time that felt far longer than it was. This was probably a mistake. She knew she was going to regret this. But... <em>what's done is done</em>, and all that. She'd taken his bait, and now staying was a matter of pride. Or...maybe that was just the alcohol talking.</p><p>Still, she was The Champion. Leaving would be a show of cowardice. Proof that he was somehow better than her. And besides, she had to pay over twenty bucks in cab fare just to get there, so there was no way in hell she wasn't going to get her money's worth out of that open bar.</p><p>And, because the devil on her shoulder was probably a goblin like all the rest of them, it was at that exact moment she heard the chipper words, "free sample?"</p>
<hr/><p>Despite her conviction, Sarah found it difficult to <em>cut loose</em> in present company. It wasn't the myriad fae that put her off, oddly enough. Under blacklights and glitter, even the most grotesque fae face was rendered indistinguishable from the just as grotesque masks and prosthetics of their human counterparts. No, it was only one fae in particular that was keeping her so on edge. And the damn bastard was having a fucking blast.</p><p>She had not the slightest fucking clue why she was feeling so possessive. Maybe she was just arrogant, thinking that their shared history granted her a special seat in his lap. Nevermind the fact that he obviously hadn't thought of her once since then. But oh, how she seethed. How she wanted so badly to slap away the look on his face as he fiddled and poked at that stupid blonde woman.</p><p>They were standing at the bar, chatting away like it was the most natural thing in the world. Was he flaunting himself on purpose? What? What the fuck was she even thinking? Of course he wasn't! Why did she even care?!</p><p>She crushed her solo cup and tossed it in a trashcan. She'd drank a lot in the twenty minutes since he'd left her. She was starting to feel a little wobbly. Damnit.</p><p>Needing to prove to herself she really was a strong, independent woman, she strutted herself straight onto the dance floor.</p><p>The DJ shifted to a new beat, something lower and slower with a strong base —exactly what she wanted.</p><p>She turned around and searched her immediate vicinity, then tapped on the shoulder of a very tall, very broad, fae man dressed as a huntsman.</p><p>"Wanna dance?" she asked, and placed a suggestive hand to his chest. The man grinned and stepped towards her, taking her by the hips as she started to move.</p><p>Before long the mood and the booze caught up with her, and all too suddenly she'd completely forgotten about King What'sHisFace and his stupid fairy fuckhead. She closed her eyes as she moved to the music, pressing back against a body that may or may not have been the one she'd started with.</p><p>Hands held her by the ribs and turned her around. A leg pressed against her groin which she ground herself against. Another hand grasped her by the back of the head and angled her away as hot lips sucked on her neck.</p><p>She pressed her hands against a hardened chest and pushed herself off of him. Her vision was a little blurry, but the look she conveyed was intense and predatory. She took another step away from him and tossed her hair back. It was getting hot. She could feel the skin beneath her latex starting to sweat.</p><p>She dipped low, flaunting her ass as she churned her hips back up. Her hands traced her torso, moving up into her hair as her entire body ebbed and flowed to the rhythm.</p><p>She wasn't paying attention. Didn't realize she had forgone her dance partner and was proving herself more evocative than the otherworldly gogo dancers.</p><p>When she opened her eyes, she realized she was being watched, being devoured by hungry eyes of both races. The attention empowered her. Emboldened her. Of course they would watch her. Why wouldn't they? She was The Champion, after all. She bent down one more time, glancing back as she rose and loving the way the light reflected sharply off her ass. She turned around, looked up, and, as if she'd damn well planned it that way, saw that even <em>he</em> was watching her as well.</p><p>She gave Jareth a very wanton smile as she glanced away.</p><p>Not wanting to disrupt the moment, she let her gaze fall anywhere but near him. He was a ways away, a good 30 feet, so it was possible she'd been wrong —but oh how it thrilled her. She stepped up her game then, employing everything MTV and high school semi-formals had taught her.</p><p>She pretended to entertain a couple strangers who strayed too close, but after a few minutes couldn't help but look back again. This time their eyes definitely crossed. And this time it lingered. He was still at the bar, leaning against it and talking, distractedly, to his fairy friend and her new redheaded cohort. She saw his eyes dart over, trying to keep up with what they were saying, but quickly found their way back to her.</p><p>The satisfaction watching that gave her could not be accurately described.</p><p>Feeling there was much unfinished business, Sarah dragged a hand from her neck down her breast as she said, "See something you like?"</p><p>She spoke in barely a whisper, which was of course the true challenge. She watched as a little tick in his ear had him turning blatantly towards her. He put down his drink and stepped away from the bar, ignoring the women whose hands were still latched onto his arm. He pulled himself free, took another step, and then vanished.</p><p>Sarah did well not to jump when she suddenly felt his breath on her ear.</p><p>"Do you think it wise to taunt me?" he asked, so low and smooth. Sarah licked her lips, eyes glued to the mirrored looks of confusion on the women's faces as they stared over at them. In a show of confidence, she rolled her hips back just enough to brush her ass against his pelvis.</p><p>"Who's taunting?" she asked, dropping low to the floor and slowly bending back up again. "I simply asked a question, in a whisper, behind deafening music and the chatter of a hundred or so people. You're the one who's fancy fae ears were so focused you heard me despite it." She glanced back from her peripheral with a sharpness equal to his own. Jareth's eyes darkened.</p><p>"You've grown bold in your old age. Are you sure this is a game you want to play?" he asked. He was still standing behind her, taking in the sweet smell of her sweat and the remnant perfume she'd arrived with. When her back straightened, she staggered, falling against him before catching herself. Jareth's hands clutched her by the shoulders on instinct, though now they were reluctant to let go. He leaned down to whisper into her ear, "I think you might be drunk, darling. I'm surprised. I would have thought you more wise than to let down your guard in a faerie's den." If there was actual warning posed in that, it was too delicious for Sarah to heed. She allowed him to hold her, secretly riveted by the dominance it conveyed.</p><p>"Joke's on you, Goblin King," she said, and turned around to face him. "I was drunk when I got here."</p><p>She gave him a salacious curl of the lips as she lightly pressed off of his chest and took a step back. Being so close, she'd caught a good glimpse of his eyes, alight and mismatched, and rimmed in blood red liner. He looked a little menacing under the lasers, under the —now darkened— red hue glazing the dance floor.</p><p>She started dancing again, teasingly, and just for him. She showed him her ass and her tits and the curve of her hips. She rolled her neck and stretched her arms to the ceiling. How dare he underestimate her, she thought. As if, even at her most compromised, she couldn't handle him.</p><p>"But what's with all the questions?" she called back, glancing over her shoulder with a one-sided grin. "Sounds to me like you're stalling."</p><p>She kept her eyes locked on his, conveying a challenge she thought so grand she hoped even the hostess in the foyer would gasp in anticipation. Jareth's stare on her was unreadable, and then he slowly tilted his head to one side.</p><p>"Come here," he commanded, softly. Sarah held her head high as she moved her body towards him. That bravado shattered on a gasp of her own when he suddenly reached around her waist and yanked her flat against him. "You should be very careful, little kitten. You're not the only one who's been imbibing tonight," he warned, pressing a wide hand down her side to grope at her ass. The gesture had her pressing into him instinctively, their bodies slowly swaying in time. His eyes lowered to her mouth before continuing. "I may not be quite the gentleman you remember."</p><p>Sarah stared up at him, her face hot and her mouth dry. The air of impulse compelling her grew exponentially despite his repeated warnings, and had her fingers curling into his shirt with constraint. She lifted her leg a little, encouraging the hand he kept on her ass to grasp even lower, and leaned up on her toes to whisper, just a hair's breadth from his lips, "<em>Prove it</em>."</p><p>She swallowed anything that might resemble nerves and leaned away from him, trailing a delicate finger to the zipper at her cleavage and making sure his gaze was good and distracted. "And by the way? If you haven't yet noticed, nothing about me is <em>little</em>," she added and slowly lowered the zipper. A new sense of conviction flared in the way he stared at her and, in a moment of contentment, she turned away from him and went back to dancing. Oh, she was being ballsy. Ballsy with the freaking King of Goblins. She was going to be screaming at herself in the morning. Probably.</p><p>Jareth's eyes lowered to her ass for a long second, before calling her bluff and yanking her back flush against him.</p><p>He grabbed both hips and kept their bodies conjoined as he followed her lead, moving with a fluidity that actually surprised her. She tested him, lowered towards the floor, and he successfully lowered with her. She felt one of his hands leave her hip to pull back the hair from her neck, and then grazed his nose against the exposed skin. The feeling of his breath made her shiver, and left her entirely unprepared for what happened next.</p><p>She bent her knees even more, lowering, and pressed back against his groin. She could feel his hardening erection against her ass, and stifled an excited murmur. His other hand lowered to grasp the inside of her thigh as they moved and, as they straightened together, felt that hand pull up and lightly graze two fingers very deliberately over her sex. Distracted by his lips on her neck, she couldn't stop herself from gasping. And the sound, so light and feminine, had him humming with satisfaction. His hands went back to her hips, rolling them with precision, before traveling upward to grope at her breasts.</p><p>Sarah's eyes opened as she struggled for clarity, staring out at the crowd as she plotted her next move. One of his hands stayed on her breast while the other continued upwards, encircling her neck and angling her head sharply towards the ceiling. The hand at her breast curled around the collar of her suit and pulled —just enough to expose a bit of shoulder which he forcefully nipped.</p><p>"You keep surprising me, Oh Champion, My Champion. Tell me, what will you do next?"</p><p>Sarah breathed heavily as the hand holding her neck pressed firmly against her carotid. She wetted her lips and angled herself towards him as best she could.</p><p>"You go from reluctant to cocky just like that, eh?" she asked, glaring at him sharply from her peripheral as she reached behind herself and grasped his cock. He flinched and groaned, the look in his eyes turning dangerous. "When are you going to learn to stop underestimating me?" And she stroked him, moved her hand firmly from root to head over his pants as she swayed herself against him. Their eyes remained locked. She could see a shade lowering over his, a confirmed sense of lust she'd been waiting for. "Tonight is a free for all, right? Old-fashioned comradery with no strings attached?"</p><p>The corners of Jareth's mouth curled, but he wasn't quite capable of verbally responding. She had a very commanding hold on him. It was making it hard to focus. He nodded instead.</p><p>"So tell me, are there any other Labyrinth Champions here?"</p><p>She angled her wrist in a way that nearly sent his knees buckling. He closed his eyes to compose himself.</p><p>"No."</p><p>"And are there any other Goblin Kings?"</p><p>Anticipating where this was going, Jareth grinned on a strained breath.</p><p>"No."</p><p>"Well then. Who better suited to <em>entertain </em>each other on this <em>auspicious</em> night?"</p><p>Jareth released her neck and grabbed both hips, bring their dancing to a halt as he closed his eyes and pressed his brow into her shoulder—</p><p>"Absolutely...no one."</p><p>There was tension in his voice as he gave in to her ministrations. They stood together, in the middle of the crowd, back to front while she stealthily jerked him off. She could feel his breathing getting heavier. They were going to need to change it up soon…</p><p>She glanced towards the upper level and tilted her head.</p><p>"What's upstairs?" she asked. Jareth forced his way back to attention and followed her gaze.</p><p>"Private suites. Reserved for later —when things get a little more...messy."</p><p>"<em>Later?"</em> Sarah repeated, suggestively, then slowly turned around to face him. Her fingers laced through the belt loops on his pants and tugged. "I think later is now, don't you agree?"</p><p>Jareth stared at her and that coy smile for a second longer than was good for him. His eyes narrowed and his grin curled on one side.</p><p>"This isn't just a ploy to kill me, is it?" he asked, and she laughed. When he did not laugh in return, she realized he was somewhat serious. She cocked her head to the side and gave him her best puppy-dog look</p><p>"Well, if it was, it'd be a ploy worth a thousand deaths. I can promise you that."</p><p>She watched the light of the room darken around him, cover him in shadows that spoke to the predatory instinct she'd just set off in him. His head inclined, and that sinister grin, with all its dark promise, creeped ever slowly across his face. She was pushing herself against him. Pulling his hips forward while her breasts pressed against his chest. But, she managed to still keep herself at a formidable distance —too far to kiss, yet too close to breathe. He imagined all the wicked things he was going to force upon those audacious lips, and then he smiled once more.</p><p>"We'll see," Jareth said, and suddenly they were gone.</p><p>The sound of cacophony left her so abruptly Sarah actually staggered. The lightshow was gone too. Now they were standing alone, in a padded room with very dark, purple lighting. There was a sliding glass door leading out to the walkway overlooking the club below. Sarah's eyes darted from the place in the pit they'd once been standing in over to Jareth. He was waiting for her cue, standing a little taller, and looking more imposing than she'd ever seen.</p><p>Her eyes slanted to the side, and she peered around him to inspect the furniture. There was a very large, leather, sectional curved in a half circle. In front of it, a matching ottoman big enough to fit a family of four. Sarah's left brow arched very sharply at it before glancing back at Jareth.</p><p>"Yeah? Did you think a four-poster would be too direct?" she asked. The couch was very low and rounded in such ways that even the starchiest of virgins would be able to tell were made for fucking.</p><p>Jareth gave the fixture in question a curt glance, and shrugged.</p><p>"The building came fully furnished. One of the reasons we chose it. Convenient. No?"</p><p>Sarah laughed softly and toyed with his hair —subtly using him for balance. The spacial shift had her feeling wobbly again, though it was a weakness she refused to let him see.</p><p>She twirled the ends of his hair around an index finger then watched it quickly unwind as she pressed her hands down his chest. Her glazed eyes roamed all over him, and then narrowed in scrutiny.</p><p>"Not that I'm not digging the new look," she said, and traced a finger lightly down the center of his chest. "But I'm feeling a little nostalgic. Your hair...is a bit too tame. Humor me, would you?" She looked up with a meek little flutter of lashes that was transparent enough to make him laugh. Regardless, her wiles worked. He reached up and untied his hair, then ruffled it as it fell loose. And, somehow, because it was just so simple for him, his hair was back to the wild mess she remembered from her youth. Her nostrils flared as she gnawed on her lower lip. "That's better."</p><p>She reached out and clawed her hand into the back of his hair, impulsively jerking him forward into a kiss. She caught herself just in time, however, keeping her mouth hovering a painful millimeter from his. His eyes lowered to her lips, but he was patient for her next move. After a moment, her brow knitted and her eyes turned hazy. She released him, then started undoing the buttons on his vest as she slowly sank to her knees.</p><p>She kissed him on the sternum instead. Opening her mouth and tracing a hot circle over his flesh with her tongue. When she finished with his waistcoat, she grazed her nose along the seam of his shirt, inhaling his scent as she worked loose the belt on his pants.</p><p>Very sharply she pulled it away from him, the motion emitting a loud snap in the otherwise quiet room. She tossed it to the floor and undid the fly of his pants. He was still hard, the contour of his erection putting a very clear strain on his slacks. She was about to pull them down when she felt his hand on the top of her head. He grasped her by the crown, exuding a little more tension into the hold than he should have.</p><p>Sarah looked up with a very satisfied grin.</p><p>"Careful now. Someone might think you're eager."</p><p>His cock flexed when she reached up and molded her hand to it over his pants, his hips instinctively churning towards her. He made a little noise in the back of his throat, but did not otherwise respond. Sarah watched the mist build in his eyes and, without conscious thought, pulled him free and laid the head of his cock against her tongue.</p><p>She kept her eyes on his. Kept <em>his</em> attention entirely on <em>her</em> mouth. She tightened a fist around the base and stroked up the length of his shaft while her lips closed around him and suckled.</p><p>His brow furrowed and his grip in her hair tightened, but was otherwise motionless. She licked around the head, pumped him once more, and tasted the precum on her tongue as she sucked him in deeper.</p><p>She closed her eyes and murmured, appreciating the way he pulsed in her mouth and grew even harder. Damn. Thank God it was her imagination that had been surprisingly lacking. She wasn't able to fit all of him in her mouth, but what she could do seemed to be having a strong enough effect. She withdrew him from her mouth and appraised his figure while stroking her hand along the full length, drawing back her saliva and coating him entirely. He moaned. Begrudgingly it seemed, but moaned nonetheless. She paused just before taking him back into her mouth, peering up just to gloat over the awful anticipation it spurred in him.</p><p>Her tongue flicked the tip, curled around the head, and then she sucked him in as far as he would go.</p><p>She went to work, closing her eyes and hollowing her cheeks as she pulled sharply back. His breathing picked up, and his hips jutted into her in little, highly restrained thrusts. She let go to hold him by the hips instead, gaining more stability while she fucked him with her mouth.</p><p>Jareth's hand, in a fit of impulse, tightened painfully in her hair and jerked her forward. She grunted from the surprise but recovered immediately, positioning her head at a new angle as both his hands took hold of her head. He stared down at her as he began to thrust into her mouth, pulling her into each one, and only releasing at the precise moment of pain. Sarah tried her best to control her breathing. One slip up and she'd be gagging on him.</p><p>He groaned a little louder and threw his head back, planting his feet in a firmer stance as he fucked her with less and less restraint. Sarah could feel him slipping into her throat and focused entirely on suppressing her gag reflex. When he looked back at her, he angled her head up a little more, forcing her to lock eyes with him as compulsive tears beaded at the corner of hers. His hands gripped her a little harder. It would be too easy to come down her throat. And oh, how such a look provoked him. She was panting through her nose, struggling between breaths. But the look in her eye? Oh, it was even more ravenous than his.</p><p>Acknowledging this had been a mistake, as it caused a twitch in his cock that nearly unbound him. He cast his head back and moaned. Fuck she felt good. Just a few more thrusts—</p><p>Sarah's hands reached up and tore his from her hair, then she pulled her mouth sharply off of him and gripped him tightly just before he could come.</p><p>"I thought you had a point to prove?" she asked, deridingly. "Don't go finishing after a mere ten minutes."</p><p>Jareth, huffing through heavy breaths, smiled wickedly at his little minx.</p><p>"And what makes you think I can <em>finish</em> only once?" he countered. An index finger hooked under her jaw and <em>insisted</em> she rise to her feet. She obeyed, continuing to lightly jerk him off all the while. "I can't speak to what you're used to, precious. But, I assure you, I am <em>not</em> like other men." He pinched her chin tightly and pulled her close, his free hand pushing on her lower back so she stumbled into him. "If tonight is supposed to be worth a thousand deaths, I suggest you cease underestimating me as well."</p><p>Sarah's mouth hung open as their eyes scoured over each other's faces. As his hand, still gripping her chin, gradually released to let his fingers slowly spider up her jaw. She was still jerking him off, her slick hand moving quickly up and down in the small space between them. By the time his hold reached her hairline they were both damned. Both slaves to a moment of passion neither had realized was even building.</p><p>Her free hand fisted in the collar of his shirt as his nose grazed along hers. As his lips, so achingly close to hers, sparked at the first moment of contact. She could feel his breath. Feel the heat on her tongue. She opened her mouth wider as his head angled down, as both their eyes closed to mere slivers of sight. She felt the tip of his tongue touch hers, and she whimpered in an instinctive plea.</p><p>His hand clamped tightly into her hair, and then their faces crashed together.</p><p>Their kiss was consuming, was overpowering and crippling. They both moaned, breathing heavily into one another as they lapped at each other's tongue and bit on each other's lips.</p><p>Without thinking, Sarah let go of his cock and thrust both hands around the back of his head, keeping him pressed so close she could barely breathe. Her back arched and he leaned forward, clutching her for dear life as the kiss endured.</p><p>He took a step forward and turned before slamming her into the wall, her body inching upward from the mere force of him.</p><p>She wrapped her legs around his hips and ground against him, whimpering in high tones at the way his cock pressed perfectly against her clit. Goddamn she was hot for him, and she knew, even now, that it had very little to do with the alcohol.</p><p>Jareth held her by the ass as he thrusted against her, angling his head back as she relentlessly kissed him. He wanted to devour her. Near literally. No matter how much he tasted or bit, it wasn't enough. Her smell and her saliva and her hot cushioned mouth were not even close to enough.</p><p>He forced his way out of her embrace and yanked down the zipper on her costume, then pushed it roughly over her shoulders just enough to expose her breasts. He leaned down and sucked on her chest, moving torrid, open-mouthed kisses across her bosom. Her tits were actually larger than he'd anticipated. Fucking glorious. With rosy pink nimples already peaked in fervid anticipation.</p><p>He took hold one one breast and kneaded it, pushing it up and into his mouth as he sharply nipped on her nipple. Sarah gasped, lurching against the wall as her hand clutched the back of his head. He twirled his tongue around the bud and sucked again, slower, more deeply, and pulled it back to elicit an honest moan from her.</p><p>Jareth groaned, readjusting his stance as he kissed his way to the other breast. His tongue tickled and tantalized her. Did wicked things that would send her to orgasm all on its own. She opened her eyes and tried to calm down.</p><p>"<em>Jareth</em>," she pleaded, breathing heavily as her head angled back against the wall. Jareth pulled away from her chest but did not respond. Instead he bit down on the crook of her neck, and his hands, having gone back to supporting her ass, inched under the hem of her bodysuit to spread her apart.</p><p>She felt his tongue drawing shapes just below her ear before pulling away and releasing her entirely.</p><p>She didn't have time to question him. The moment her feet hit the floor he was yanking the sleeves of her suit roughly down her. She shimmied in the effort to assist him, but the damn thing was awkward and tight. He lowered to his knees as he pulled it down her hips, barely giving her time to step out of it before spreading her legs and hooking one over his shoulder.</p><p>Sarah braced against the wall as she watched Jareth's eyes close while he kissed the inside of her thigh —his hand curling around it to savor the ample shape. She wore a black thong beneath her garter belt, but that didn't matter. His mouth sealed over the fabric and licked.</p><p>Sarah's back arched and she gasped from the contact, from the heat that bloomed with each of his breaths. He let her thigh rest on his shoulder, then reached up to snap her thong —allowing her to keep her garters while he tore her pitiful excuse for underwear away.</p><p>His tongue dragged flat up the length of her cleft, refusing to penetrate flesh which was starting to throb with yearning. He repeated the motion, then hummed in satisfaction as the taste of her, as sweet and honeyed as he'd hoped, grazed his taste buds.</p><p>In a fit of impatience, she did as he had done and reached down to maneuver his head. She tried to press his face into her but he denied what she so obviously wanted. Instead he teased her with external licks. Taunting and stimulating her clit with delicate little strokes.</p><p>Belligerently, she gave up, thumping her head against the wall in defeat. She felt hot. She was damn near naked but her face was burning.</p><p>She'd been so caught up in self-pity, she didn't notice Jareth staring up at her. Didn't notice his eyes, slivered and shrewd, laughing at her frustration. Out of pity, he gave her what she craved and thrust his tongue into her.</p><p>She moaned. Moaned loudly. And it was enough to conquer his resolve in an instant. His eyes closed again and he gripped her by the thigh as his tongue split her and plunged over and over. He angled his head back and pressed his face as close to her body as possible, swallowing her fluids and murmuring from the pleasure the mere taste of her brought him.</p><p>He'd never tasted a human quite so sweet, and neither a fae for that matter. That might have seemed odd if she were an ordinary girl. But no, there was nothing <em>ordinary</em> about her. She was The Champion. <em>His Champion</em>. And oh, how sweet was the taste of victory.</p><p>He felt his cock throbbing and reached down to stroke himself while he licked her. Gods, he was ready to come. It was agonizing. How dare she render him so pitiful.</p><p>He pulled his mouth away and lowered her leg, then shrugged out of his jacket and waistcoat before standing. She was out of breath. Gasping and fevered as she stared into his eyes. His returning expression, however, was unreadable —darkened by lust and intrigue and a hint of resentment.</p><p>His hands were still gloved. He did not bother to remove them before lifting a thigh and thrusting two fingers deep into her cunt.</p><p>Sarah braced his shoulders with both hands and cried out. She wasn't expecting that. Wasn't expecting to be filled so spontaneously. His hand was undulating, moving deep and long, his knuckles curling just when they needed to.</p><p>Sarah felt the heat building again, only this time it couldn't be stopped. Her muscles clenched around his hand and her lashes wilted submissively. He watched the way her mouth dropped open and her head angle in a way that was far too flattering. He wanted to kiss her again. Wanted to feel that tongue and those teeth with his own. But he didn't. He forced himself to watch her come undone by his will.</p><p>She inched higher up the wall and shied away from him. She was heading towards a climax she did not want —not yet— and did her best to prolong it. Jareth groaned low, impatient and determined, and wedged a thigh against the inside of hers to keep her legs spread. His clothed chest pressed against her bare breasts, the heat between them starting to dampen the white linen.</p><p>And then, finally, she could hold out no longer. Her nails dug into his arms and she cried out, victim to the verge of orgasm which he then, very swiftly, denied her.</p><p>He pulled his fingers away and thrust them into her gaping mouth. Sarah gasped, curling her tongue around the slick leather instinctively and sucking. He gripped the underside of her chin with his thumb and pressed deeper into her mouth. Sarah bit on him in response. He had a feral look in his eye, but she was not about to be bullied into submission.</p><p>With a dark chuckle, Jareth took back his hand then hoisted her by the ass back against the wall. He did not give her the chance to react. It seemed this was now a battle Sarah had ceded the advantage in. He positioned his cock at her entrance and thrust himself inside.</p><p>Sarah's chest rose. Her legs constricted like vices around his back. And her hands, not knowing what else to do, knotted in his hair and held on for dear life. Jareth groaned, gasping as her tight little cunt squeezed around him. He pulled back and the feeling intensified. She was so wet. There was no restriction. He glided back in and filled her to the hilt.</p><p>"<em>Ah—</em>"</p><p>The sound of her sharp gasp distracted him, and he looked up at her strained and breathy expression. She stared at him, bore into his very soul it seemed, and then, before he himself could decide against it, she thrust herself forward and kissed him.</p><p>One of Jareth's hands lifted to clutch the back of her head and steady them as he opened his mouth for her but did not otherwise reciprocate. He stood completely still, something, for some reason, fighting against the natural urge to give himself back.</p><p>After a moment, however, his baser needs won. The feeling of her skillful tongue roused life back into his, and he forgot why he'd hesitated at all before kissing her just as avidly. The hand in her hair turned to cradle her close, and the one holding her ass moved to cover her tailbone and serve as a very considerate buffer as he stepped forward and thrust her back into the wall.</p><p>He fucked her hard. Offered her little reprieve as each movement thrust his cock just a little too deep. She was crying out, painfully moaning between kisses, but still he did not stop. He lost himself in her embrace. Forgot about everything else. If only for a moment.</p><p>Sarah tore her mouth away to breathe and looked sharply at the ceiling. Jareth's mouth latched onto her neck as a replacement, released his tender hold to once again fondle her breasts. He groped and squeezed, and moaned at the way they were too much to fit in one hand. What a perfect woman, he thought. Perfect in every way…</p><p>He did not realize the scope of his own thoughts and came back to the moment at the sound of her compulsive moans rising in tenor.</p><p>Her hands braced against his shoulders, her body fighting to both inch higher up the wall and stay rooted in place all at once. Her back was arched. Was locked into position. And he was given a glimpse of that earth-shattering moment when the orgasm finally hit her.</p><p>She screamed unabashedly. Moaned for him in a siren's song that had a shocking level of control over him. His mouth was open. His eyes fixated on her rounded upper lip. And then he felt it. Felt his own climax course through his cock in waves that nearly stole his composure. He moaned, thrusting sharp and deep, slowly but precise; and, unable to break away from that sultry, dangerously compelling expression of hers, emptied himself within her. Sarah's orgasm endured alongside his, both of them together and yet captured within their own daze.</p><p>When it was over Sarah looked down. Stared deep into his eyes with a look akin to outrage. He didn't understand it. And then, because it seemed there really was no one better suited, she surprised him yet again by propelling herself off the wall and sending them crashing to the floor.</p><p>He caught himself just in time and held onto her protectively as he regained equilibrium. He was sitting on the floor now, with her legs still straddling his hips and his dick still in her and hard.</p><p>Without word she undid the buttons on this shirt then pulled it off of him. That's when she realized he'd been wearing his trademark pendant all the while. The sight of it hanging low on his chest gave her pause, but she smiled. Without asking, she removed it from him and draped it over her own head and, in the heat of the moment, he allowed it. Next came his gloves. She took each of his hands and carefully plucked them away as her hips slowly rocked.</p><p>Jareth stared at the pretty kitty wearing his royal seal with a look of disbelief. She was still wearing her ears. Slanted to the side, but on her head nonetheless. His eyes lowered from them to the crevice between her breasts and the heavy gold pendant nestling itself there. What a sight. What a lovely sight indeed.</p><p>Once he was sufficiently bare, she placed her hands against his chest and pushed him down. He hit the floor with a thud, more focused with placing his hands to her hips to raise them higher.</p><p>"You're still pretty hard. Guess you weren't bluffing," she said between pants, her open mouth curling at the corners in a winded smile. She rolled her hips to his rhythm, rising high and sinking low with each turn.</p><p>"I don't bluff," Jareth said, which only made her laugh. She reached up and pulled her hair back, creating a thick tendril that he all-too-readily fisted a hand around. He pulled her neck back and sat up, using the hold to keep her in place while he thrusted into her. "What was it you said? Partying and fucking until the sun comes up? What am I if not a creature slave to your expectation?"</p><p>His smile was dastardly as he said that, as he teased and made light of their past in a way that, if not for present circumstances, she may have found offensive. Her hands grasped the column of his neck and used it to steady herself as she rode his thrusts. She wasn't quite sure what her opinion of him was. Wasn't quite sure where they really stood with one another. He was arrogant and sassy, aggressive, and kind of slutty. He'd put her through the ringer in that labyrinth; but then again, he was right. He never did anything she did not ask for. And the only thing truly villainous was her perception of him.</p><p>The way she stared at him changed as she thought this. As her remaining buzz faded into a moment of clarity. She was supposed to be his enemy. He was supposed to be devious. And yet, after a decade of no contact at all, he'd welcomed her with open arms.</p><p>Her brow drew together tightly. How was this going to end? Was this really a one night stand? Was such a thing possible for those with a connection like them?</p><p>Sensing a wave of <em>feelings</em> about to get the better of her, Sarah shoo'd them all away like the unwelcome pests they were. This was a one-and-done kind of thing. Jareth himself had promised that. Come tomorrow he would have to leave. She would be rid of him. ...just like before.</p><p>Offended by the distracted look in her eye, Jareth huffed and tossed her off of him. She yipped, landing on her hands and knees, which —of course— was exactly where he wanted her.</p><p>He grabbed her by the ribs and hoisted her into the ottoman.</p><p>Sarah gripped the edge and widened her legs, glancing back over her shoulder as he spread her ass with his hands. He leaned down and thrust his tongue into her cleft, savoring the combined taste of their orgasms with particular delight, then trailed it upward and rimmed her anus. Her mouth dropped open as she watched, as the feel of his tongue pushing it's way inside her reignited her passions.</p><p>His fingers curled into the flesh of her ass and he groaned into her. His eyes had closed, which amplified his sense of hearing as he pulled back on a tensed garter strap to snap it sharply back to her ass.</p><p>Sarah flinched from the minor pain and found her legs were spreading themselves even wider. Her hips, having taken on a mind of their own, moved back and forth onto his tongue.</p><p>He kissed his way over the round of her ass as he leaned up on his knees, stroking himself while inserting three, now bare, fingers into her.</p><p>Sarah turned her head around and braced against the ottoman. From this angle, the hooking of his fingers hit something that was already dangerously stimulated. She inched forward over the ottoman, but once her hips hit the edge she had nowhere left to go. Jareth's hand pushed deeper, coating the base of his knuckles, before withdrawing one finger and sliding it into her ass.</p><p>Despite the surprise (and his audacity) Sarah instinctively pushed herself back. She was far from shy and wasn't about to prove herself a prude if this was the road he intended to take.</p><p>Jareth regarded the bowing of her back as encouragement and toyed with her a little rougher, applying more pressure to the finger moving in and out of her ass as he bit on his lip while imagining fucking her there.</p><p>The fingers in her cunt became wetter and wetter, her swollen insides tensing and begging to be properly filled. He'd gone dry in his hand and, for that reason alone, pulled his fingers out of her to replace them with his cock instead.</p><p>The finger in her ass remained and was actually joined by another as his cock penetrated her deep. Sarah lurched forward, grasping at nothing as she was forced to submit. He leaned over her, holding himself on an elbow pressed to the ottoman, and used his weight to anchor her and his hand in place as he fucked her nice and slow.</p><p>The noises Sarah made were sounds foreign to her. They were high, breathy, overly feminine and riddled with panic. She couldn't move. Couldn't properly brace or alleviate anything. He'd planted his knees on the inside of hers, keeping them wide, and balanced her hips on the very edge of the ottoman while his fingers pressed deeper into her ass. And the feeling of his cock, just as hard and impressive as when they'd started, moved with such nuance and was buried so deeply, all she could feel was a blind sensation burgeoning in the pit of her stomach.</p><p>This was too much. She was going to lose it. Sweat was beading on her brow as she struggled to form legitimate moans.</p><p>She felt the ends of Jareth's hair tickle her back, and was able to glance back at him just enough to see that his eyes had closed, that he looked deeply focused and aroused and entirely entranced by the feel of her body. Such a look broke her. A look of pure, unrestricted admiration.</p><p>Her mouth slowly dropped open as her body tensed, and she suddenly cried out in a shrill moan that was more surprising than the orgasm that hit her.</p><p>She writhed, shrieking as tension boiled over and begged for release. Jareth's posture cemented, holding her down like a dog lest she jerk too sharply and risk him tearing the inside of her ass.</p><p>Her body seized around him, her back bowing and her head angling up as the acute, yet all encompassing, sensation barrelled through her.</p><p>And bloody hell, it was glorious. Watching her go through that was glorious. He felt himself nearing the brink again, and closed his eyes as he rested his forehead against her spine. After a moment, she settled. Her body relaxed and he, very carefully, removed his hand. She was breathing heavily, the sound rough and exhausted. Her skin was hot against his, moist and soft and perfect.</p><p>His jaw clenched as he took hold of her hips, then pulled her back sharply onto a few final thrusts. He came a second time, the feeling much more gentle than it'd been with her. He moaned deep in his throat, pressing his brow harder into her back as his hands held her pressed tightly to him.</p><p>When he finally opened his eyes, he was surprised to notice a shift in the tension about them. It was there, but had calmed. And the quiet, for the first time seemed to mean something. He pulled out of her, sat back as she rolled over to face him. She leaned up on her elbows and just stared. She looked blindsided. Confounded. And he realized it was an expression that must mirror his own.</p><p>Something of impulse took hold of that stare. Something unnamed and unstoppable and pure. It raised in his chest and expelled as a sudden breath that he didn't realize he'd been holding.</p><p>He reached out for her, and with a mere touch of his hand her remaining clothing vanished. She startled back, shifting up the ottoman as he suddenly crawled over her. And, as he did so, she realized he was now fully nude as well.</p><p>She ceased her backpedaling when he came to loom face to face, when his arms, flexed and intimidating, came down to cage either side of her head.</p><p>Her eyes turned round and meek, revealing a sense of desperation over the fact that, despite having no idea what she was feeling, it was clear that it was something he was feeling too.</p><p>His brow knitted tightly. His chest heaved on tired breaths. He reached down and jerked on her ass, angling her legs further apart as he nestled between them and, in an even more abrupt gesture, glided his already renewed erection fully inside her.</p><p>He looked confused as he did this. Like he had no idea what it meant. He was worked up and so was she. Sarah lifted her torso until their stomachs touched and placed a gentling hand to his back. He lowered with her, their stare unbroken as their bodies melded flush against one another.</p><p>He shifted onto his elbows, and cradled her head —with those stupid cat ears— tenderly. Her hands moved higher up his back, and she closed her eyes as she angled her chin towards him. The gesture was already initiated, but this time it was <em>he</em> who kissed <em>her</em>.</p><p>She paused. She wasn't expecting that. Wasn't expecting the sense of ardor and abandon that made that kiss so passionate. Jareth's eyes closed, his arms constricted around her, and the way he pushed his body against hers was not sexual at all, but a mere effort to be as close as possible.</p><p>The emotions Sarah had earlier denied were suddenly back in full force, begging her to do something stupid and let them in. She'd be an idiot to get caught up in this. An idiot to think this was something other than the fleeting compulsion of lust. Still, the way he kissed her just now felt real. And the look in his eye...it made her feel like she was the only thing in his entire world.</p><p>She knew she was going to regret this night. She knew it was going to be a mistake. Still, this night of a thousand deaths would not be denied its worth. She closed her own eyes as she embraced him, as she pretended, with no effort at all, just how wonderful this scenario could be.</p><p>Her hips rocked, inciting his to do the same. He started to move, slowly, gently, neither questioning the fact that this had obviously become something more than fucking. They held onto each other, moved with one another, and existed for no one but the other all night long...until the sun came up.</p>
<hr/><p>Sarah awoke from a brief sleep to the feeling of a corkscrew twisting into the side of her head, but oddly enough her hangover was better than expected. She scratched at her head and sat up, then glanced over to the indentation in the ottoman left behind by a certain fae king.</p><p>She stretched out her arms and yawned, blinking until her eyes gained focus, and eventually located him dressing in front of her.</p><p>"What time is it?" she asked, groggily. Jareth glanced back with a grin as he tucked his shirt into his pants.</p><p>"A little past six. It's almost dawn." He looked away as he began to button up his shirt. Sarah, sobering up fast, scowled as she scooted to the edge of the ottoman.</p><p>"Oh…" she said, wading through some very sudden and severe disconcertion as she reached down for her clothes.</p><p>"Yes. Time's up, unfortunately." He sounded chipper and not the least bit disappointed about it. Sarah watched him skeptically, then frowned.</p><p>"So you really do have to leave when the sun comes up?" she asked. Jareth shrugged into his vest and pulled his hair back into a ponytail.</p><p>"Yes. I was being literal. Once the sun rises, I and the rest of my kind will be compelled back to the Underground."</p><p>Sarah didn't say anything right away. Instead she lowered her head as she quickly dressed herself.</p><p>"And the people at the party?"</p><p>"Sleeping off the night's festivities. I assume they'll wander home as they do every year."</p><p>Sarah nodded but wasn't much listening. She felt deeply insecure all of the sudden and knew exactly why. Dammit. She'd gone and let herself <em>feel</em>. <em>Stupid</em>.</p><p>She peered up at him in a quiet beseech as he pulled on his coat and adjusted the collar. Sarah, feeling totally ridiculous and exposed in her torn up cat costume, wished she somehow had her trench coat to cover herself up.</p><p>Jareth, distracted by the dwindling time he had left, finally looked over and actually saw her.</p><p>"Are you alright?" he asked. Sarah paused. That question was baiting. She couldn't answer it.</p><p>"Yeah. I'm fine. Just hung over," she eventually said, lying through her teeth and forcing a smile that only made her feel worse. So...this was it? Really? She wouldn't see him again until next year or... indefinitely? She'd had one night stands before. Parting ways was never an issue. So...why did this feel so abrupt? Why was she so bothered by it?</p><p>"Make sure to drink some water when you get home," Jareth said, which surprised her. He was grinning again, looking so friendly and unintimidating. She'd lied by telling herself last night was going to be nothing but impulse, but was that what it actually was for him?</p><p>Feeling every bit the fool she knew she would be, Sarah smoothed out her hair as best she could and then crossed her arms tightly over her chest.</p><p>"Sarah."</p><p>Sarah looked up and straight at him. He was staring at her worriedly, though she didn't know what to make of it.</p><p>"Yeah?"</p><p>"Come here. I'll bring you home."</p><p>"What?"</p><p>Sarah's brow twisted in an ugly way as she said that, and she stood rigidly as he approached her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and, between blinks, they were suddenly back at her apartment.</p><p>Sarah looked all around, too caught off guard to readily respond.</p><p>"W-how do you know where I live?" she asked, doing double and triple takes to confirm she was really home. The corner of Jareth's mouth curled and he huffed.</p><p>"Magic is intuitive," he said, playfully. Sarah, very adverse to his morning-after cheer, kept her head lowered as she stood before him.</p><p>"Well thanks. I wasn't much looking forward to a city-wide walk of shame." She tried her best to inflect humor into that, but to her it sounded bitter. Fucking hell. She needed to get over herself. It was one night. An amazing night, definitely, but not something she could or should even want to happen again. He wasn't even human for Christ's sake...</p><p>"At least you'd carry yourself with flare," Jareth replied, apparently ignorant of her doldrums as he raked his eyes over her apparel. Sarah glanced towards her living room window. The first rays of morning were peaking through.</p><p>"You don't have much time. So...same time next year?" she asked, awkwardly. <em>Fuck me. How pathetic can you be Sarah?</em> she internally berated. Jareth's grin stretched a little further and he angled his head down at her.</p><p>"That sounds like a string," he said, mockingly, and all hope in her was utterly shattered. Her body tensed as emotion plummeted, her insecure, vulnerable mind fighting to remain steeled. <em>Did he really just say that? Does he mean it? What about last night? There was definitely...something there.</em></p><p>When Sarah's eyes lifted from the floor, she prayed her strained smile would be convincing enough.</p><p>"Sorry. I didn't mean it that way," she said, with a scoff. Jareth tilted his head as he regarded her. She was a hot fucking mess, but something about her was just so cute. He reached out and gently grasped the sides of her face, brushing his thumbs over her cheeks in a tender gesture.</p><p>"Thank you for last night," he said, and her stare shot up at him. He smiled softly and leaned down to plant a chaste kiss on her lips. "You've defeated me yet again —made an auspicious night worth a thousand deaths. A feat undoubtedly only accomplishable by the Labyrinth's Champion." The sentiment seemed to linger as he said that, as the action of his thumbs slowed and his eyes, once so content, seemed to dull just like hers.</p><p>Sarah gulped as she searched him for the validation of her own feelings, but the amiable way he regarded her was just too ambiguous. After a moment when she said nothing he withdrew his hands, and the moment that line of contact broke, so did whatever delusion she'd built around herself. He was just a man, she told herself, and she was just a woman. They might be <em>suited to entertain</em> one another but there was nothing else there. There couldn't be. She would be reaching out for him if there was—</p><p>"Jareth," she called out, taking a tiny step forward when he turned his back on her. He turned back with a raised brow. "Um. Thank you."</p><p>He turned a little more and scowled in confusion.</p><p>"For what?"</p><p>"For...being more than I expected."</p><p>His eyes widened in surprise as rays of sunlight passed through the window directly over him. He opened his mouth to speak, but it seemed words failed. He was thrown. And then, before any realization could be made, the pull of another world proved the stronger foe. Sarah watched him literally fade before her eyes, and she took another compulsive step towards him. She raised a hand to his cheek, but she didn't feel him there. This would be her moment. <em>The</em> moment, as the novels would say. The moment where she professes her dramatic, undying, and totally unrealistic love for him.</p><p>If she were more confident, maybe she would have. Maybe she would have demeaned herself then and there and said something totally ridiculous that he would have to live with for however many years until they maybe saw each other again.</p><p>She was, however, not so selfish. No, instead she let the opportunity slip by them and said nothing at all. And her smile, doing everything it could to hold back her heartache, twitched reassuringly as he continued to look more and more confused. Then, curiously, he cocked his head, opened his mouth, and spoke —but no sound came. Whatever he said was lost in the veil. He was nearly gone and, as the light of morning shone ever brighter, he faded away to nothingness. And her hand, still raised to where his cheek might have been, curled into a fist that fell bitterly to her side.</p>
<hr/><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N- alright...So I know I just said this is a one shot. I guess that's a lie because no this is not the end. My vision is to make this a short story centered around the major holidays. Therefore, you can expect the next installment to take place and be posted at Christmas time. See you then!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A/N- Yay I did it. I realize there are a lot of different ways I could take this chapter...but one scene kept coming back to me, and I just needed to write it. I wanted something heartwarming for the holidays, so...I hope you like it.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><hr/><p>
  <strong>Night of a Thousand Deaths: Yule</strong>
</p><hr/><p>
  <em>Hanging some garland (just like in the book)</em>
</p><p>
  <em>while dropping glass bulbs —oh shit, where's that hook?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Precariously untangling glow lights on strings</em>
</p><p>—<em>these were poor Sarah's least favorite things.</em></p><p>
  <em>Flocking the windows, but try not to wince.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Got that shit in her eye once —it ain't been right since.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Take a step back —OW FUCK— there's that hook.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But at least it looks pretty, only four hours it took…</em>
</p><p>Sarah grimaced as she pulled a narrow, wire hook out of her heel, casting curses on the stupid thing as she tossed it back into the box. With a rough sigh, she placed her hands on her hips and spanned her eyes from right to left as she admired her living room. It looked pretty good...one corner of it at least —<em>Grrrr.</em></p><p>It'd taken her hours to dig out her decorations from storage and get even this far —though why she bothered at all, she didn't know. She hated decorating, and she lived alone so it wasn't like her anguish was, at the very least, providing sadistic entertainment for anyone else. She had no man. No roommate. No cat. Nuthin. For as much as the activity aggravated her, you'd think she'd be better off hanging a pine-scented air freshener and calling it a day. Huh...maybe she was a masochist.</p><p>But alas, what did it matter? It was <em>Christmas!</em> after all, and, if Karen had taught her anything, it was that bright colors and shiny things were an absolute necessity when it came to putting oneself in a festive state of mind.</p><p>And a festive state of mind was something she needed, she'd determined. All the flash and fanfare was just barely enough to distract her from the fact that she was still….</p><p>No. No, she would not even finish the thought. She would not let an image of <em>him</em> slip into her mind again —fuck.</p><p>Nooopppe. Go away. Shoo. Fuck off. T'was the ninth day of Christmas, and she'd be damned if some fuckboi mullet-head ruined it for her.</p><p>To quote the greatest of grinches, even if she ended up horribly mangled —there'd be <em>no sad faces</em> on Christmas.</p><p>She growled to herself while dramatically twirling away. It was impossible to just walk like a normal person. For one, she was very aggressively trying to play <em>lonely businesswoman meets holly-jolly housewife</em>. And second, well, the mandatory orchestra of nonstop holiday cheer was going off in the background.</p><p>"Santa baby, babum babum babum bum bum bum…" she preemptively sang as a familiar tune started up. She bent over to rummage deeper into her box of decorations, and found her hips rocking in spite of herself —careless victims to the guile of sultry Eartha and her jovial band of rhythmic baritones.</p><p>
  <em>Baboom</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Baboom</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Baboom</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Baboom, boom, baboom</em>
</p><p>"Santa baby, just slip a sable under the tree —for me...Been an <em>awful</em> good girl. Santa baby...so hurry down the chimney tonight..."</p><p>A rhythm of woodwinds and low acapella carried Sarah across her living room floor, bouncing on air with a string of garland she pretended was a feather boa as she shuffled her shoulders to seduce her own shadow. Seasonal angst aside, she loved this song. It was just too flirty. She swayed in a circle and threw herself a wink in a nearby mirror.</p><p>"Santa baby, a fifty-four convertible too —light blue. I'll wait up for you dear. Santa baby…"</p><p>She closed her eyes and hummed the rest, her fingers moving in time to Miss Kitt and a leisurely drop of clarinets. The music, resonating from the next room, took on an echo as it reverberated throughout her apartment.</p><p>She twirled a playful hand in the air as she peeped open an eye to sing to herself in the mirror.</p><p>"—Think of all the <em>fun</em> I've missed. Think of all the fellas that I haven't <em>kissed</em>—" She blew herself a kiss and twirled away. "Next year I could be as good, if-you'll-check-off-my-Christ-mas list."</p><p>
  <em>Baboom baboom—</em>
</p><p>"Santa baby—"</p><p>She was smiling like a sexy little git as she untwisted herself from the garland and hung it on her tree, then danced her way back to the box to pull out some knick knacks fit to sit on her windowsill. She held up a tiny ceramic house and peered through the windows. Wait, was this door apposable? How had she never noticed that?</p><p>She jolted when the phone rang. Sarah ceased her investigating and ran into the bedroom to turn down the music. <em>—Sorry Eartha, we'll have to schmooze that jolly old elf another day.</em></p><p>The phone was on its fourth ring by the time she finally made it to the kitchen and jerked it off its hook. She looked downward at the screen and fought off a little cringe. Of course. <em>Karen</em>.</p><p>"Hello?"</p><p>"Hello Sarah? It's Karen—"</p><p>"Yeah, I know. I've got caller ID, remember?" Sarah said, leaning against her fridge as she shook her head.</p><p>"Oh, of course. I always forget. I keep telling your father we need to modernize…"</p><p>"You think?" Sarah said with a scoff. "It's only been around for a good ten years now. But good luck with that." She turned to slump on a shoulder as she scrutinized her living room. <em>Those felt reindeer might look good on the wall over there…</em> "He still has his rotary phone in his office, doesn't he?"</p><p>Karen laughed.</p><p>"Heh, oh yes he does...do not even get me started on that," she said, then trailed off in a different direction. "I'm sorry to bother you, dear. I'm sure you're busy, but do you have a minute?"</p><p>Sarah stood and paced out of the kitchen.</p><p>"Yeah, I was just decorating. What's up?"</p><p>"Oh how fun. Did you use the window stickers I sent you?"</p><p>Sarah paused before she replied, eyeing said god-awful cling-ons (still in their packaging) poking out from the rim of her box. Who the hell had designed those things anyway? The looks on their faces were something out of a horror movie. She'd never before realized it was possible for a snowman to rise from the depths of hell. Every time she looked at them she couldn't stop herself from thinking <em>Heeerrreee's Frosty!</em></p><p>Eh….</p><p>"...Yes," Sarah said, rolling her eyes away. "What do you need? Is every alright?" she asked, changing the topic before Karen could demand a picture.</p><p>"Of course. Oh yes. No, I just wanted to talk to you about the holidays. You're still coming up, right?"</p><p>Sarah walked around her coffee table and slouched back onto her couch.</p><p>"Yeah. I was able to use my vacation to get the whole week off, so...I was thinking of driving up on the twenty-third."</p><p>"Driving? Really? In winter? Oh I don't like that," Karen said, oh-so-worriedly. "You should really take a plane—"</p><p>"It's a four hour drive, Karen. I'm not buying a plane ticket this close to Christmas," Sarah replied, her eyes averting to the ceiling as she spoke. A teeny tiny pause preceded Karen's response.</p><p>"...Well alright. Just be careful. And don't be talking on that little flippy thing you've got."</p><p>"You mean my cellphone?" Sarah asked and laughed. "Jesus, Karen. You two really do need to modernize."</p><p>"I guess that's just what happens when you're old like us. Can't keep up with anything."</p><p>"<em>Pff</em>. You're not old. Just stubborn —in Dad's case."</p><p>"I appreciate the sympathy. Perhaps Santa will show me some mercy this year and pull the broom out of your father's ass—"</p><p>"Karen!" Sarah exclaimed, leaning forward in a show of shock. She heard Karen huff in that way of hers.</p><p>"Oh, I'm just teasing. He knows I love him. Anyway, what time can we expect you in, then? We're hosting the block party this year on Christmas eve—"</p><p>Sarah's brow flatlined, and she blinked very slowly.</p><p>"...Are you really?"</p><p>"Yes," Karen replied, then, after a momentary pause, seemed to pick up some of Sarah's thoughts through the phone line. "I thought you'd be excited," she said, but only endured another silence. Sarah heard the crackle of her readjusting the phone, and then she spoke up again. "Mrs. Jenson told me her son Henry is coming down," she said, suggestively, without nearly enough pleasantry to cover up the fact.</p><p>Sarah rolled her eyes as she fell back against the couch.</p><p>"Uh huh. Good for them," she said, then impulsively stood to her feet to pace around her living room. The number of times Karen had tried to set her up over the years was giving her something close to PTSD. Just the mere suggestion of it had her anxious and cringing. She could only imagine the show that was in store for her come Christmas Eve… "I should be down around noon that Tuesday, depending on the weather," she said, shifting topics. "I figured I'd leave Saturday —if that's alright."</p><p>"Well of course. You don't need permission to visit us, dear."</p><p>Karen was back to her typical cheer. Sarah picked at her mascara as she stared very intently into the mirror.</p><p>"So, what's Toby doing?"</p><p>"Oh, he's out with some friends. I...don't really know what they're up to, honestly. I saw him take out his sled, so...hopefully that."</p><p>Sarah drew back and arched a brow at the phone.</p><p>"Yeah, hopefully," said, then rubbed her nose as she sniffled.</p><p>Karen's immediate panic was as palpable as the static in their connection.</p><p>"What was that?" she quickly asked. "Do you have a cold?"</p><p>"Huh?" Sarah replied, not even realizing her own mannerism. She shook her head as she sniffled again. "No. I've just been a little congested lately. I think it's the humidity," she explained. Karen was silent for a very long second.</p><p>"Hm...well don't push it," she said with latent scrutiny. "I don't want any unnecessary germs at this party."</p><p>Sarah cocked a one-sided grin.</p><p>"I'm intrigued by which germs you consider necessary," she teased.</p><p>"Oh you know what I mean. I also don't want you keeling over into the eggnog—"</p><p>"Well you know me," she was quick to interrupt, her voice changing as her sinuses flared. She pinched her nose to fight off a sneeze. "That may very well happen anyway."</p><p>"<em>Ha. Ha</em>. So funny, Sarah," Karen said. "Please take some medicine anyway. It would be a real shame to—"</p><p>"Ah...AH-CHOO!"</p><p>Sarah bounced back and clutched the phone on reflex, but it wasn't in reaction to the sneeze. At least, not directly. No, she was shocked into stupefaction when the force of her dainty little <em>achoo! </em>was enough to barrel clear through the drywall and shoot out the other fucking side. The entire apartment quaked, leaving Sarah to stand in honest shock as she stared at her bed through a hole in the wall as large as her person. Her dresser, and the radio sitting on top of it, had been blown to bits —oh no, poor Eartha!</p><p>Sarah blinked a couple of times. Just blinked.</p><p>"Sarah?! What the hell was that?"</p><p>Bits of rumble continued to fall, puffs of insulation and the odd wire or two. Sarah did not respond.</p><p>"Sarah?!"</p><p>The second coming of Karen's fright was enough to pull her into the moment. Sarah shook her head rapidly as she took a step back. What. The. F—</p><p>"Ah...sorry Karen. It was nothing…" she said, stammering as she turned and looked every which way. What the fuck? Like, WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?</p><p>She held the phone against her racing heart as she scampered over to inspect the damage. Jesus Christ. Yup. It was a hole alright. Should she tell the super? Did she have enough legs to spend on fixing it?</p><p>"Nothing? Sarah I feel like I just heard an explosion. What happened? Are you alright?" Karen's nervous chatter battered against her sternum. Sarah, staring wide-eyed, drew back from the wall and lifted the phone back to her ear.</p><p>"Wha?" she asked, then scowled. "Yeah. Yeah, no. I uh...I just sneezed and lost my balance —and fell into the bookshelf. A bunch of stuff fell on the floor. That's all," she explained, stupidly, but it was no worse than telling the truth. Surely she was in shock. Denial. Something. Otherwise she'd be losing her fucking shit. Did she really just sneeze a hole through the fucking wall? WHY? Did she get bit by a radioactive spider? Sleepwalk into a vat of unnamed chemicals? Unknowingly have a close encounter of the fourth kind?</p><p>Oh. …wait a minute.</p><p>"Well, my goodness. That was one powerful sneeze—" Karen said, none the wiser. Sarah, wading through some very serious disillusionment, turned away from the wall as she focused on keeping her shit together. A well of anxiety was starting to bubble now. Maybe it was finally hitting her. Right there. In the gut.</p><p>She clutched a hand across her abdomen as she smiled widely for who knows what fucking reason.</p><p>"Yeaaahh...listen, Karen, I'm gonna go clean this up. I'll call you closer to Christmas, okay?" she asked, hurriedly. The feeling was getting worse now. Way worse.</p><p>"Oh, okay. Have fun decorating, darling. And please, be more careful next time—"</p><p>"I will. Bye."</p><p>Sarah pressed the end call button and practically threw her phone across the room. Holy fucking shit. This was real? Did banging Jareth give her superpowers? A magical STD? What?!</p><p>Her brain was running a million miles a minute. Maybe she was panicking. She must have been, because all the while her most prevalent thought was where the hell all her neighbors were and why no one had yet come banging on her door out of dutiful concern for her wellbeing. —those fucking assholes.</p><p>In a state of extreme confusion, she ran over to the mirror and started pulling at her face. Nope. No bleeding from the nose or ears. No spontaneous brain hemorrhaging. Her skin hadn't turned purple, nor were her eyes glowing. Welp, she could scratch superhero off the list of probabilities. Which could only mean—</p><p>Oh God.</p><p>Sarah slapped a hand to her mouth and ran, as fast as her feet could take her, straight into the bathroom.</p><p>She made it just in time, practically slamming herself against the bathtub as she slid across the tile and dropped before puking her nervous guts and half an apple pie she'd called lunch clear out.</p><p>After a very laborious minute, her stomach settled. She caught her breath. She closed her eyes and thumped her forehead against the toilet seat. Holy shit, that was rough. She felt like she'd just been hit by a fucking freight train —and then her brain caught up.</p><p>Just hang on there one flying second.</p><p>—Congestion</p><p>—Nausea</p><p>—Explosive sneezes that could only be magical in nature arising nearly two months after the probable incident—</p><p>…..</p><p>Uh oh.</p><p><em>Shit</em>.</p><hr/><p>
  <em>Two weeks later…</em>
</p><p>Sarah tapped a candy cane striped nail against her glass, slowly sipping on cider as her eyes slanted to the side. Her parents' dining room was all around merry, putting her whole apartment to shame with the ostentatious and undeniably expensive vomit of faux pine and polyvinyl garland that Karen had previously deemed <em>lackluster but</em> <em>sufficient</em>. She'd never seen glitter come in so many forms —which was saying something. It came in finishes of metallic, mirror, and matte. It came on ribbons and placemats, and on that one absolutely terrifying stuffed Santa over there on the mantel. It was motion-censored, calling out a jarring <em>ho ho ho</em> to every unsuspecting schlub who passed by it too closely. It was entertaining to watch them all jump at first, but now it would not stop staring. Gazing across the room at her with those cold, black eyes...</p><p>"I can't believe how long it's been. Got to be...what, almost ten years I think?"</p><p>The man called Henry was there as foretold, prompted into this awkward-ass icebreaker at the behest of both mothers. For his sake, Sarah tried not to come off too shrill. They'd been shoved in a fucking corner like a couple of show dogs. <em>Goddammit Karen...</em></p><p>"Yeah. Since high school. How have you been?" she asked, averting her eyes from the doorway to the kitchen and the puff of red hair that was <em>most definitely not Karen</em> spying on them from it.</p><p>"Oh, you know. Livin' life. Can't complain…"</p><p>"<em>Uh huh…</em>"</p><p>Karen should smack her. She was being rude and she knew it. There was nothing wrong with Henry. He'd aged well. Was kind. And single, apparently. Still, she didn't care. He could have been Prince Charming and she wouldn't have noticed. She had far more pressing matters on her mind.</p><p>Like the fucking hole that was still in her wall. Aside from the cautionary tape (left over from Halloween) she'd placed across it, there was little else to be done. She was too afraid to tell her building manager what had happened —or rather show him. She had absolutely no idea what to <em>tell</em> him. Two weeks had gone by and she still had yet to come up with a cover that was even halfway believable. But that wasn't the main concern. Really, she just didn't want to get kicked out for causing so much damage. She'd decided to pay for the repairs herself on the down low after Christmas...when she got paid.</p><p>For now, she had a lovely little window to look into. At least she had a reminder to wake up to every morning lest she forget the even more pressing fact….</p><p>That she was pregnant.</p><p>She closed her eyes to suppress the cringe such a thought provoked, and gripped her glass a little tighter. She'd completely given up on her conversation with Henry. Why the fuck was he still talking?</p><p>"My mother mentioned you work as an accountant. You were always good with numbers. Are you independent or with a firm?"</p><p>Sarah crossed her arms.</p><p>"With a firm. Not sure I have the ambition to go solo," she said, now peering off in the opposite direction. Festive music was playing loudly from the family room. A familiar <em>Baboom, Boom, Baboom</em>. Oh good. Looks like Eartha survived after all. At least there was that.</p><p>A part of her questioned whether or not it was responsible for her to even be here. Turns out, that pivotal, all-mighty sneeze was just the tip of a very complicated and terrifying iceberg…</p><p>So she was knocked up. Cool. But she wasn't <em>just</em> knocked up. No, she was knocked up with a magical demi-god that seemed to be having its wicked little way with her physiology. In addition to the typical hell that was first trimester morning sickness, Sarah found herself repeatedly treated to the delightful surprise of what she could only assume was morning sickness <em>faerie style</em>.</p><p>Weird shit was happening, and it was happening a lot. An impatient growl would result in a blown fuse. A particular craving would end up with pastries raining down into her lap. The careless thought, <em>I hate Mondays, </em>had put Sunday on repeat for three days straight —that shit was not normal. And it was only getting worse.</p><p>And while the puppy she'd inadvertently poofed into existence for a random wish-maker on the street was indeed heartwarming, these were powers she could not in any way control. While nothing as destructive as that sneeze had happened since, she knew it was probably only a matter of time.</p><p>And yet here she was, surrounded by (for the most part) innocents. Inserting her ticking time bomb of a womb into a fray of extended relatives and good-natured neighbors. Who were these people? she caught herself thinking. Why were they greeting her like she knew them and slapping her warmly on the back? <em>Don't fucking touch me</em>, was the thought of the day. One wrong twitch and she might turn the whole house up...</p><p>Despite all this and her disturbing lack of caution, a part of her still found it hard to believe. The day she'd bought that pregnancy test, she hadn't actually thought it would turn out positive. Never before would she have predicted to be praying for an STD instead. But alas, something must have clicked. There must have been just enough in common between their two species to turn that little minus into a plus. *Shudder*</p><p>She'd tried her best not to panic. She was successful enough to support a family, and she was getting to <em>that age</em> where such things were starting to matter to her. So no, it wasn't the bundle of joy itself that sent her reeling, but rather...its father.</p><p>She didn't know what to do. Should she summon him? He deserved to at least know, didn't he? What would happen then? Would they co-parent across worlds? Would he <em>take responsibility</em> and make her his bride? Was that something she even wanted? Or would he abandon them? Refuse to acknowledge his bastard and never be seen again?</p><p>And those were only the best case scenarios.</p><p>By day three she was really starting to lose it. She thought less about who he was and more about <em>what</em> he was. She'd turned her apartment into a nest of conspiracy, littering her living room with research on all things fae. The truth of the matter was that she really didn't know Jareth. Like, at all. Sure, he was dashing enough to fuck, but…</p><p>This rabbit hole was not a good one, as every new reference she found painted his kind more and more sinister. Sir Orfeo, Rumpelstiltskin, Erlkönig? Why the hell were they so obsessed with stealing people?!</p><p>She'd tried to make the argument that these were just stories, but her own past with Jareth didn't exactly refute them. He <em>had</em> taken her brother. He <em>had</em> tried to beguile her into staying behind…</p><p>Maybe Halloween was a fluke. Maybe he was more malevolent than she'd ever realized.</p><p>She'd very quickly decided not to tell him. It wasn't worth the risk. What if he went all medieval and <em>demanded</em> the child? What if he tried to steal it away from her or kidnap them both to live in the Underground?</p><p>She just didn't know him well enough to give him the benefit of the doubt…</p><p>Or so she thought.</p><p>Turns out, her situation was a bit more complicated than that. In only two weeks her symptoms had gone from weird, to worrying, to possibly volatile. She couldn't handle it, and was honestly concerned for the wellbeing of herself and others should it continue to escalate.</p><p>She may not want to, but she <em>needed</em> to tell him. She needed his help. At least...that's what she told herself.</p><p>"Yeah, I've been working as a consultant for AVI —you know, the tech company? It's kind of boring, but the pay is good so I can't complain…"</p><p>Sarah scowled as she tuned back into Henry and his subtle flex. He didn't seem to actually be noticing her, which was of course typical. He was kind of an ass in high school.</p><p>She looked up and remarked, with bitterness, the fact that he was not blond.</p><p>God, why was this not easy? Why could she not just resolve herself and forget about him? She was scared, but she couldn't have been that scared. If she truly thought he would do something evil...she wouldn't want to see him so badly.</p><p>Maybe she should just terminate it. Bypass all this angst and get on with life…</p><p>"Hey, I'm gonna get more eggnog. You want some?"</p><p>Sarah blinked back to attention and forced a smile.</p><p>"Sure. Thanks," she said, staring on distractedly when he walked away from her out into the kitchen. She sighed once he was gone. Finally.</p><p>Without a second glance, she set her glass down on a windowsill and headed straight for the basement.</p><hr/><p>She was careful to make sure no one saw her before opening the door. The party was in full swing, reaching that time of happy revelry when no one would notice she was gone. Except Henry maybe. Oh well. She had plenty of cousins floating around.</p><p>She closed the door behind her and latched or clicked all three of its locks. Her father had set up something of a panic room down there, so she was confident no merry go-getters would interrupt. She had <em>spells to cast </em>—and on Christmas Eve, no less. Gee, how awkward would that be?</p><p>She descended the stairs and flicked on the lights. The sounds of the party above her were well muted, but provided a low muffled ambiance that she was actually thankful for. Dead silence would be unnerving.</p><p>It would have probably been better to do this at her own apartment, she thought, but that's what happens when you wait until the very last minute. Oh well. It would be fine…</p><p>She looked up to give the door and all its locks a double take.</p><p>Despite being used mainly for storage, the basement was in fact finished. It had a couch and a coffee table, her old tv, and a bar her dad would dust off that one time a year he actually had friends over.</p><p>Currently, it was an apocalypse of Christmas mayhem —everything Karen didn't like this year or didn't have room for being arbitrarily tossed into the void. There were boxes stacked everywhere, sporting the odd corpse of a Santa or his elves peeking out here or there.</p><p>She turned a few of their soulless faces away as she walked around the couch.</p><p>She'd done most of her prep work earlier that day, although all that really consisted of was deciding where precisely she wanted him to appear and then move the coffee table out of the way.</p><p>One of the books she'd found seemed pretty reputable. It had details on all the little tricks to summoning a fae. She hoped it wasn't bullshit.</p><p>With a sigh, she picked up the container of salt she'd snuck down there earlier and turned in a circle as she poured. And there it was. Wow. That looked pretty damn geometric. <em>You got this, girl.</em></p><p>She set the salt back down on the coffee table as she stepped out of the circle, then walked over to her bag which she'd left on the couch.</p><p>She rummaged through it and pulled out a necklace. But oh, t'was not just any necklace. No, t'was her one and only keepsake. Her trophy. <em>His</em> cornerstone.</p><p>She often wondered if Jareth realized she was still wearing his pendant when he left her that day. Wondered if maybe he did and wanted her to have it. That would've been nice, she thought. Romantic.</p><p>Her thumbs stroked over the metal as she stared vacantly at it. The book said she needed something to anchor him to. Something connected to him. She didn't have anything else, so she figured this would do. She was reluctant to set it down however. This was hers now...she hated to give it back.</p><p>Still, if that was the way it was done, then so it must be. She set the necklace down in the center of the ring, then moved back a healthy distance.</p><p>The party carried on without her as desired, but every time the sound of footsteps would bound or creak overhead, she couldn't help but grow more nervous. There were a lot of unsuspecting people up there… This was a bad idea.</p><p>She really hoped this wasn't a bad idea.</p><p>With one more sigh, Sarah knotted her fingers and glanced downward, wincing as she uttered the words, "I wish Jareth, the Goblin King, would take back his pendant. Right now."</p><p>She had to be specific. She had to give cause for him to appear directly in the circle. Her eyes closed tightly as she waited. Braced. Wondered if this would really work or if she was about to make a huge fool of herself.</p><p><em>He probably won't appreciate being trapped…</em>.her mind muttered —way too fucking late. By the time that dawned on her, she heard the sound of a boot scraping against the floor.</p><p>Sarah opened her eyes to the sight of Jareth looking around from one side of the room to the other.</p><p>Holy shit. It worked? He was here? Just like that?</p><p>Her mouth went dry as she stared at him, all kinds of angst wrestling for dominance within her. He looked good. Really fucking good —king of his own parade kind of good.</p><p>He was notably festive, wearing colors of indigo, white and silver. His shirt was the darkest of blues, his pants a slate grey. His coat was white with blue accents, and shimmered with white jewels and silver tinsel. Only half his hair was pulled back this time, looking so sleek and pale as it draped over each shoulder. A few messy tendrils fell over his forehead, which brought her round to his eyes and the glittering brow he was currently arching at her.</p><p>He looked surprised to see her. Hell, she looked down right shocked.</p><p>"Twice in one year?" he asked, with a grin that curled so devilishly. Then he angled his head down at her in amusement. "Now you're just getting clingy."</p><p>Sarah was speechless. She had no tongue. She had no heart either, that is until it saw fit to resume beating and pounded intensely to catch back up. She licked her lips but could only stand there. He was in the ring. Would it work?</p><p>Jareth's expression, the picture of delight, flickered boldly down Sarah's front.</p><p>"My gods…" he said, then grimaced. "In the name of Beira, what are you wearing?"</p><p>Sarah blinked from her stupid gape and looked down over herself. Fuck. Of course he would disarm her by noting <em>that</em> right off the bat.</p><p>"It...it's an ugly sweater party," she said, uncertainly, as she crossed her arms very tightly over her chest.</p><p>Another one of Karen's gifts, that had been —a bright red and green striped sweater with a felt Christmas tree sewn to the front. It had a metallic yellow star and decorations made of actual pom poms. Not her most dignifying attire, she had to admit. And, honestly, from the way he'd immediately noticed and was now laughing at her, she would have by far preferred the catsuit.</p><p>Jareth's smile humbled as he took in her appearance —along with the rosy blush currently consuming her face.</p><p>"How fun," he said, baitingly. Sarah's hands gripped her biceps as she shifted uncomfortably. When her eyes finally turned his way, they looked a little sharp.</p><p>"You look very merry as well. Do your people celebrate Christmas too?"</p><p>She was trying to be stern but was melting in her socks. This feeling only worsened when he started laughing again.</p><p>Sarah's brow drew tightly together as she stared at him.</p><p>"Yule, darling," he said, and reached up to run a hand through his hair. "—and your lot took it from <em>us</em>."</p><p>Sarah gulped. Why was he so composed? Did he not know he was trapped? Did he not care? Was he not actually trapped at all?!</p><p>"I thought Christmas was the day Jesus was born?" she asked. Jareth's grin twitched.</p><p>"That's cute."</p><p>He shifted his stance and bumped a toe against the pendant, which caused him to then glance down at it. There was a pause. A heavy one. Sarah stared very intently as she watched one of his brows arch while tracing his eyes along the salt ring. He said nothing right away, but she picked up on a new tension about him as he bent down and picked up his necklace.</p><p>"Well, I see someone's been reading," he said, perfectly aloof. Sarah gulped again as he casually wound the cord of the pendant into a small circle and then pocketed it in his coat. "I thought your request was a little odd to begin with, but is there a reason why you've pulled me away from my own festivities to trap me here, Sarah?"</p><p>He looked up and locked onto her gaze. Sarah nibbled her lip nervously.</p><p>"Ah...yes. I...I need to talk to you—"</p><p>"And the ring is necessary, why?"</p><p>Sarah closed her mouth and frowned. She wasn't prepared for this. She was so fucking nervous. Jareth, contrarily, seemed totally fine. He sighed as he briefly glanced at the floor.</p><p>"You really are going to kill me, aren't you?" he asked.</p><p>"What?" Sarah said on impulse, her voice louder than she would have preferred. She stammered for bearings as she glanced away. "No. No I…" and she licked her lips once more. Jareth, closely observing these mannerisms all the while, subtly tilted his head as his expression became a bit more serious.</p><p>"You're looking very unsettled. Is something wrong?"</p><p>Sarah's eyes darted while her fingers knotted.</p><p>"I…"</p><p>Jareth watched her struggle, and then an edge formed in his eyes.</p><p>"Why did you call me here, Sarah?"</p><p>There was something commanding in the way he said that. Something stern and scolding and not what she fucking wanted right now. Goddamn, she was on the verge of panicking again. She only hoped she didn't blow something up—</p><p>"I'm um…" she started to say, then hunched her shoulders as she ran hand up and down one arm. "I'm sorry this is so random, but...the thing is...<em>I'm pregnant</em>."</p><p>She winced. Grimaced, really. Stood on pins and needles as the words passed from her to him. Their eyes remained locked. Jareth was silent. Deathly silent.</p><p>"...is it mine?"</p><p>Whatever fucking tension Sarah thought she was feeling was blown clean away —if not by that comment, then definitely by his asinine sneer. He drew back like he was confused. Like he didn't believe her. Sarah gaped for a hot second. <em>Is he fucking serious right now?</em></p><p>"What?" she asked with a raised voice. "No, it's Joe the milkman's. Of course it's fucking yours! Why the hell would I summon you otherwise?" she practically yelled at him. She threw her arms up and huffed, shaking her head in disbelief. Jareth was silent again. Just staring at her. It was awkward. She got defensive. "What, do you have no other response?" she asked, and re-crossed her arms as she turned to the side. "I say, you don't look particularly surprised. Do you get this kind of news often?"</p><p>There was ridicule in those words. That, and fear.</p><p>Jareth stood straighter as he exhaled very slowly.</p><p>"Oh, believe me, I'm surprised."</p><p>His voice was soft. Low. Sarah's eyes veered back to him but found his steeled expression impossible to read.</p><p>"I...I don't know what to do," she said, turning back to face him as a tiny flare of desperation seeped through. "I wasn't going to call you here, but...weird shit has been happening." And she flailed her arms out in a fluster. "I've been having, like...magic morning sickness or something. I don't know. I'm conjuring things, granting wishes, altering the space/time continuum. Is that normal?" Her eyes were wide with a plea when she impulsively looked straight at him. That sense of transparency recoiled, however, when she saw his look had not changed a bit. Her brow slowly turned down as she said, "I don't know how to control it, and I'm worried what might happen if it keeps getting worse. So...so why aren't you saying anything?"</p><p>He looked angry. Was he angry? Was this the precipice of the shit show she'd been dreading? He had yet to make a move. Didn't even bother to try escaping the salt ring. Did that mean he was really trapped?</p><p>Jareth's stare on her was as sharp as a knife as he said, "You need to come with me."</p><p>"What?" Sarah asked and drew back. "Where?"</p><p>"Where do you think? To the Underground," he said. Sarah scowled as she nibbled her lips. So he'd made his decision then? Just like that?</p><p>"Wh-no. Why?"</p><p>Jareth breathed in through his nose and broke eye contact, glancing to the side as he said, "You just said you can't handle the outbursts —which will likely only increase in severity by the way—" and he turned his gaze shrewdly back to her. "I cannot stay in this world for long periods of time. You need to come with me."</p><p>He sounded imperative, but she couldn't trust it. She looked at him very worriedly as she asked,</p><p>"And then what?"</p><p>"Then I help you manage your pregnancy and ensure you can safely give birth."</p><p>Sarah's brow slowly drew again, getting the sense her fears were about to be validated.</p><p>"<em>...then what?</em>" she repeated. Questions that did not need to be spoken were carried on the tether of their locked stares. Jareth hesitated to respond. Sarah's jaw clenched. "That pause is exactly why you're in the salt ring."</p><p>And <em>that pause</em> only continued to stretch. It became uncomfortable. Uncertain. Became everything Sarah had been dreading—</p><p>"How long," he asked, catching her off guard.</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"You've clearly been saving this meeting as a last resort," he said, with some distaste. "How long have you known you're carrying my child?"</p><p>If before she questioned, now she knew for sure. He was definitely angry. Very angry. Fuck.</p><p>"...two weeks."</p><p>She wasn't sure what reaction she was expecting, but she cowered nonetheless as she watched a figurative shade lower over him. He looked very serious now. Scary.</p><p>"You weren't going to tell me?" he asked, <em>very</em> calmly.</p><p>"I...I don't know."</p><p>"You don't think I have a right to know?"</p><p>"I do," Sarah said, fighting for confidence as she rooted her feet to the floor. "I just...Jareth I barely know you. You're from another dimension and you're not even human!" she cried out, biting down on her lip and placing a hand over her uneasy stomach as she inhaled sharply. "I've been doing a lot of research, and...your kind has a very terrifying track record when it comes to babies, so...please don't blame me for having some reservations…"</p><p>The naïve part of her hoped that would be enough to mollify him. She was actually a little afraid when she glanced over again to find him glaring.</p><p>"Let me out of this ring."</p><p>Oh no. That sounded bad. The tension in his lip and brow painted something bad. What was he planning on doing? Did he really expect her to listen?</p><p>"No," she said, then hugged herself. "'I'm sorry, but...I can't trust you." She glanced down at the floor as she mulled over a thought, wrangling up whatever last bits of courage she still had before speaking. "Listen Jareth...I'm fully prepared to raise it on my own. That would be better for you anyway, right? A half human bastard would be a stain on your reputation, wouldn't it? I just...need some guidance on all this magic stuff. That's it. And...you're right, you do deserve to know…"</p><p>Her eyes rolled away in what was probably shame, for even she could realize how much of an asshole she was being. Jareth, in full agreement it seemed, tightened a fist at his side as he stared at her.</p><p>"If that was your decision, then you should have never called me here in the first place. You really expect me to turn a blind eye to an heir of mine traipsing around in the human realm?"</p><p>Now that earned her attention. That sounded like a threat.</p><p>"You can't come here unless summoned," she said assuredly —but only to her own self. "I could just send you back Underground."</p><p>She didn't catch the little tick that moved the corner of his mouth.</p><p>"You're right. You can," he said, providing a false sense of security which she played right into. She crossed eyes with him once more, but this time could not look away. "But you've clearly underestimated just how often I'm brought to this plane," Jareth went on. "Even if you do send me away, I'll just come back <em>time and again</em>."</p><p>Sarah stared at him, really stared, but she had no idea what she saw. She had no idea what was truth and what was her own anxious projection. Jareth had told her he did not bluff, and now she believed him. This was not a threat but a promise. Though whether or not that promise was something sinister, she was incapable of discerning.</p><p>She hated the way he was looking at her. Hated how hard and how sharp he'd become. She knew this was going to be a mistake. Just like that night.</p><p>And yet, a part of her was relieved. A part of her couldn't help but be happy to see him. She wanted to come nearer, but she couldn't. She wanted to run up and throw herself in his arms, but—</p><p>Were these hormones? Was she just getting her wires crossed from being so riled up? Who the fuck knows. It really didn't matter, because she was not currently capable of doing anything about it. Her stomach was starting to feel queasy. She looked away from him and grimaced.</p><p>"Bringing you here was a mistake," she said, forcing back a sob. "Goddammit, I knew this was stupid—"</p><p>She hugged her abdomen tightly and pressed the back of her hand to her nose. She could feel her eyes welling up. Goddamn you, stupid body —just stop. There was no way she would be breaking down like this under normal circumstances. It had to be hormones. It had to be.</p><p>Jareth watched as a tremble moved through her shoulders. Watched her tense and angle herself away from him. He could feel his jaw tightening again.</p><p>"Sarah…"</p><p>"No. Please," she interrupted, halting him with an outstretched hand. "Just...I don't know what the fuck to do. I thought...I thought maybe you would be...oh but who the fuck am I kidding. We had a one night stand. That's it. God, I don't even know if you're married!" she rambled, suddenly deriding every potential positive way this may have ended. He could have ten wives for all she knew. Concubines and courtesans and the love of his life—</p><p>And she was shocked by how much she cared. She was shocked and appalled by how pathetic she was being. They had no relationship. They owed each other nothing. This whole situation was just one big inconvenience.</p><p>"Maybe I should just get rid of it," she ended up saying, with a low sense of resolve. "That would be best for the both of us—"</p><p>"Get rid of it?"</p><p>Sarah's head shot up at the snap in his voice. He looked impatient now. Frustratingly.</p><p>"Let me out of this ring, Sarah. <em>Now</em>."</p><p>He pointed a finger at the floor for emphasis, but it had no effect at all. So, the book wasn't wrong? She really was safe...</p><p>"No," she said much more calmly.</p><p>A war of wills filled the silence that followed. Jareth continued to stare at her, boring through the cracks in her bravado. She bit her cheek in response. She needed to stay tough.</p><p>His hand lowered to his side and fisted. But, rather than try to intimidate her with it, something about him shifted. His chest noticeably lifted as he breathed. The lock in his jaw became palpable. And his eyes, which once looked so angry, conveyed a plea of his own as his brow turned down.</p><p>He looked suddenly upset. And it was a change so visceral that Sarah just now realized it was something he'd been concealing all along.</p><p>He swallowed as his head tilted, and she saw the reflection of her own insecurity wrought all over him as he uttered the words, "Sarah<em>...please</em>."</p><p>Sarah hesitated. Her heart gave a pang. He spoke in beseech, spoke with compassion and patience. She didn't know what to do. He looked so raw —the shade pulled back.</p><p>She was determined not to fall for such a ploy. Determined to tug her heartstrings back into her own possession and turn away from him.</p><p>She could if she wanted to. She knew she was strong enough…</p><p>But she <em>didn't </em>want to. She was at a loss. She was confused and too far away from him. She didn't want to believe the stories. She wanted to believe in the man she'd connected with that night, the one who'd teased her, and touched her, and acted like he cared. She wanted the man who took her home and kissed her goodbye. The man who was now <em>begging</em> for her.</p><p>She carried herself very guardedly as she slowly approached, keeping her eyes lowered as she reached out with a toe and brushed some of the salt away. There was just...nothing else for it.</p><p>This could end very badly for her in only a moment or two. She knew that. Still, it didn't seem to matter. When the line was broken, she took a step back, hugging her arms as she waited for the ceiling to fall.</p><p>Sarah gasped in surprise when Jareth took a step forward, wrapped his arms fiercely around her, and pulled.</p><p>"J-Jareth?" she managed to say. Her body went stiff against him, but he only hugged her tighter. She felt their bodies molding, felt one of his hands cradle her head while the other wrapped around her back, felt his shoulders hunch as he bent down to press his face into her hair.</p><p>And she felt the hot breath of a sigh as he said, "It's going to be alright."</p><p>Sarah stared up at the ceiling. He was holding her too tightly to move. But that was fine. She probably would have gone limp with relief anyway. She saw her vision cloud as tears welled. She was getting emotional again. Dammit.</p><p>Jareth turned his head towards her and spoke softly into her ear.</p><p>"You're safe with me. I promise."</p><p>Sarah's hands, kept rigidly at her sides, slowly lifted to grip the lapels of his jacket. He smelled so good. Felt so warm and strong. It pissed her off that she'd missed it so much—</p><p>"If it means anything…" he went on, relaxing his grip but not letting go. "I'd like for you not to simply <em>get rid of it</em>." The tone of his voice was calm, smooth. It helped bring her down as he pulled away from her. She looked up into his eyes. He reached up to smooth away the frown from her brow. "Believe what you will, but I do not have any children. I...would rather not let the opportunity slip."</p><p>Contrary to his petting, Sarah only frowned harder.</p><p>"You won't try to stop me?"</p><p>She sounded suspicious. His gaze lowered down her face as his hand moved to her jaw.</p><p>"I could, but I would fail," he said. "While I can find ways of coming back to you, it would not be instantaneous. If you're determined to do this, you'd have plenty of time."</p><p>Sarah pulled back. Of all the possibilities she'd imagined, hearing that from him was never one.</p><p>"I never said that was what I wanted," she said, scowling to the side as she sorted through her emotions. Then her grip on his jacket flexed. "But I'm...I'm scared. Don't take this baby from me—"</p><p>"I won't."</p><p>"And don't kidnap me and force me to live Underground—"</p><p>"I can't."</p><p>"What?"</p><p>Sarah drew back even further this time, alarmed and confused and visibly outraged. Why was he so calm? Why the hell was he looking at her like that?</p><p>Jareth's stare passed through her as he reached up with both hands and cupped her face. It was like they were on two completely different pages.</p><p>"Why didn't you summon me?"</p><p>Sarah's mouth opened but she hesitated. What? Where the hell did that come from?</p><p>"I—I told you, I was scared. I—"</p><p>"Not that," Jareth said, shaking his head as his hands moved back towards the nape of her neck. "It's been nearly two months since Samhain. Why didn't you summon me?"</p><p>Confused all over again, this time Sarah drew back out of his embrace entirely.</p><p>"I...I didn't think you wanted me to," she said, then subconsciously raised a defensive hand between them. She didn't notice the twitch of confusion that moved across his brow. "You made everything seem so casual. No strings, remember? I...I didn't want to make a fool of myself by literally dragging you across dimensions just to...just to say hi. So I—"</p><p>She was cut off by the force of his hands pulling her back. Compelled into silence by the feeling of his mouth sealing over hers.</p><p>He kissed her. He held her there, on the precipice of an emotional breakdown, and kissed her.</p><p>Sarah winced, her brow twisting in a confusing mix of turmoil and comfort. She felt his fingers curling into her scalp. Felt his thumbs pressing into her cheeks. Felt his taste on her tongue and the heat of his breath as he exhaled roughly through his nose.</p><p>His eyes were closed in a scowl, prolonging the moment as long as he could.</p><p>She felt something pass between them in that kiss —and it wasn't anger, or malevolence, or malice. It was relief. Relief that they shared.</p><p>Eventually Jareth pulled back and pressed their foreheads together. Sarah's eyes scoured over what she could see of him intently, but his were still closed.</p><p>"For fifty-four nights I've felt like a fool."</p><p>"Wha-why?"</p><p>"How dare you make me wait so long," he said, ignoring her question as he pulled back to look her square in the eye. "Do not send me away." They stared at one another, Sarah's hands moving upward subconsciously as the light in his eyes turned hazy. His gaze lowered to her mouth, and he angled his head towards her as he whispered, "<em>Kiss me</em>."</p><p>Sarah's hands at his clavicles lightly pushed against him.</p><p>"When you passed through the veil...you said something to me, but I couldn't hear. What was it?"</p><p>Jareth paused. He blinked. But, before the moment could be ruined, he furrowed his brow and clawed his fingers in her hair.</p><p>"Gods, you're stubborn," he said, and pushed their faces together.</p><p>This time his kiss was less chaste. It was impatient. Demanding. She had to lean back against the force of it, wrapping a hand around the back of his neck for stability as she opened her mouth wide. Their tongues met and their lips molded. The sound of his breath —soft pants and a low rumble of yearning— stirred in her something totally unexpected.</p><p>She actually moaned, the kiss was so good —closing her eyes tightly as she let everything go for that one moment. She arched her body towards him, clutching him by the back of the shoulder as one of his arms moved to her lower back and squeezed her close.</p><p>This was it. This was all she'd wanted. Just a little more time to feel this way. To feel free. And loved. And wanted.</p><p>She grimaced as she kissed him, fighting off more stupid emotions as she clawed her way closer. It was like she was starving. Like she'd never realized just how empty she'd been feeling.</p><p>Jareth reached down and hoisted her up by the back of the thighs, and she hugged his hips with her knees. She was still kissing him, eyes screwed shut like she would die otherwise. His hands moved upward, groping her ass and feeling under her sweater as they splayed wide across her back. He turned them and sat her on the edge of the couch.</p><p>He knelt on the floor, angling his head sharply upward as he reluctantly pulled away from her lips. She was breathless already. Her eyes large and bright and beautiful. He stared straight into them as he carefully removed her fuzzy red socks.</p><p>Remembering the way he'd laughed at her appearance had her feeling suddenly embarrassed, which was something he must have picked up on. Once her feet were bare, he pressed his hands to her thighs and leaned forward, distracting her with another kiss.</p><p>This was a little strange. Last time it was like a battle trying to get him to kiss her. Every time she sensed some initial reluctance, even when he was too worked up to stop himself. But there was no reservation whatsoever this time around. She felt something more than lust from him. Something more than the weight of their situation. Maybe she was right. Maybe there was something genuine between them after all.</p><p>Jareth's hands undid the button on the fly of her jeans and deftly pulled them down.</p><p>Sarah leaned back against the couch and lifted her hips, assisting him as best she could. He shrugged out of his jacket and, as his hungry eyes peered up at her, she saw the corner of his mouth twitch in a little grin. Yet to forget her attire, Sarah glanced down at her sweater as a wave of mortification silently swept through. Was he really going to pick on her right now? Did he not realize how hormonal she was?!</p><p>Ne'er to be deterred, Jareth's eyes lowered over said god-awful tree to where his hands were now bunching up the hem. She spread her legs as he leaned in towards her, gradually lifting her sweater up and then off her. Thank God, she thought, wishing the thing would spontaneously combust as it was arbitrarily tossed to the floor.</p><p>Apparently she really meant it, because that was exactly what happened. A little fire went poof just beside the couch. Sarah instinctively panicked. Jareth laughed.</p><p>"Come now, it wasn't that bad," he said and, with a wave of his hand, put out the flames. Sarah settled down, but now found herself in a rather compromising position. She'd drawn up her legs, which now provided for him a very clear and wanton view of her more sensitive areas.</p><p>Jareth's hands gripped her legs then kissed the inside of her thigh as he spread them wider.</p><p>She watched him move, so slowly, up the inside of her thigh, making her squirm with anticipation the nearer he drew to her groin. He stopped at the tendon there, then slowly looked up with a very naughty look in his eye.</p><p>She gasped when he suddenly yanked her forward, bringing her tailbone to the very edge of the cushion as she planted her hands on either side of her for balance. His fingers creeped over the hem of her underwear, then maneuvered them down her legs in an achingly slow manner.</p><p>Her mouth was dry. Or maybe it was watering. She couldn't tell. She was too captivated by the Goblin King presently kneeling before her. She watched him as he pulled loose the cravat from his shirt, unwinding it at the same teasing pace. Next came his gloves. The cuffs unbuttoned with a snap before he tugged at the fingers with his teeth.</p><p>Hot damn. Was he trying to seduce her? Should she tell him the deed had been done some time ago?</p><p>His hands felt hot now that they were bare, moving back up her thighs and squeezing along the way. She swallowed and licked her lips, her toes curling as his head moved down and kissed the spot at the base of her thigh again.</p><p>He could feel a heat radiating from there. He closed his eyes to savor it.</p><p>She felt his tongue trace a path to her sex, the delicate feeling becoming more forceful as it trailed down her cleft. Sarah made a little noise, moving her hips as she bit on her lip. She watched his head angle to the side as he ran his tongue back up again.</p><p>He spread her a little more and murmured as the first taste of <em>her </em>graced his tongue. He was holding the underside of her thighs, keeping them spread, and his own eyes closed as he more aggressively split her with his tongue. He delved deeper, moving in and out, exploring her at his leisure as her knees started to shake.</p><p>Sarah arched her back and she moaned. Watching him pleasure her was erotic, seeing the pleasure the act gave him was even more so. She angled her head back against the couch as her hips rocked into him. The sensation wasn't overly intense, but it was enough. She closed her eyes as she focused on it.</p><p>She was too caught up to notice one of his hands leave her. She did, however, notice the two fingers that slid into her.</p><p>She moaned again. Braced against him as her breathing picked up. He'd filled her to the knuckles, keeping his fingers deep as they moved in little undulations. This new feeling was more stimulating than she'd expected. Enough so that a heat was building in her face and her legs were starting to squirm. She looked down at him again and was nearly undone then and there by the sharpness in his eyes as he stared up at her in return. He ran his tongue up her cleft and pressed it to her clit. She jolted from the feeling, but his free hand kept her firmly in place. He started moving his fingers faster now, pulling back and thrusting in harder.</p><p>Sarah gripped the couch cushions, vacantly wondering how the hell she'd gotten to this point. The party still raged above, echoed by the rumble of footsteps and occasional holler of joy. The music was playing louder too. She could just barely make out the beat of a <em>rum pum pum pum</em>.</p><p>Oh, what would her parents think? To walk in looking for that extra bottle of peppermint schnapps and catch her like this…</p><p>It was kind of thrilling actually. A teenage fantasy she regretted never having.</p><p>She watched him with hungry eyes which he readily obliged, opening his mouth wide while curling his tongue between her folds, pulling his fingers back to the tips before sliding in again —all for her viewing pleasure. It was getting her bothered. He wondered how far he could push her.</p><p>He moved his fingers faster. Curled them at the end of each thrust to hit that special spot. Sarah's body reacted instinctively, her posture slouching her down into the couch while her hips angled up. She braced the seat of the couch even tighter, spreading her legs as far as they could as she tilted her head back and moaned.</p><p>He was staring at her. Totally dazed by the shape of her mouth and the sweet sounds coming from it. She was such an attractive woman. Severe and relentlessly beautiful.</p><p>Impulse compelled him forward, catching her off guard when he was suddenly looming over her to capture that wanton mouth.</p><p>One of his knees sank into the couch cushion beside her, and —at the new angle— he palmed her clit while continuing to fuck her with his fingers. His free hand wound around the back of her neck and angled her forward into a kiss.</p><p>She moaned into his mouth. His lips were wet. Warm. Tasted like her. She let go of the couch and pressed her hands up his torso, pulling at his shirt before twining around the back of his neck.</p><p>Her hips rocked into his hand, but the tantalization of how close his body now was to hers sent her into a fit of impatience. She broke out of the kiss and nipped her way to his ear, tracing her tongue along the edge before tugging free the hem of his shirt and quickly pulling it over his head.</p><p>Her breath was heavy. Hot. It flared against his neck as she bit it. He angled his head back as he thrust his hand harder, murmuring in satisfaction at the way it sent her whole body jolting. She grabbed hold of his erection next, squeezing it hard and stroking him through his pants.</p><p>She was getting so wet. His hand was soaked. He toyed with the idea of making her come but was too distracted by the sound of her moans.</p><p>He'd never heard a sound so seductive. He yearned for it —and felt himself pulse in her hand.</p><p>Sarah managed to figure out the tie on his pants and quickly pushed them down. His cock fell into her hand, which she eagerly stroked while grabbing ahold of his ass with the other. God, he was hard. So velvety. So fucking good.</p><p>She imagined the moment he would finally fuck her, played it out vividly behind her eyes, and moaned.</p><p>Jareth braced the back of the couch, and his eyes screwed shut as he thrust his cock into her hand. It felt good. Too good. He could feel his shaft getting wet from the beads of precum she was spreading further down him with each pass.</p><p>Fifty-four nights he'd waited to feel her again. Each one worth far more than a thousand deaths. It was getting hard to control himself. No. He'd waited long enough.</p><p>He pulled back and latched onto her neck, biting and sucking until a mark was made. His tongue drew messy circles and then moved down, his free hand pulling at her bra strap as he sucked down to her breast.</p><p>She arched her back for him when he reached behind to unclasp her bra, quickly shimmying out of it before his hand splayed wide on the underside of her breast. He pushed it up toward his mouth, nipping all around before flicking his tongue over her nipple. She gasped, feeling it peak in reaction, and arched her back even more.</p><p>He took the bud between his teeth and bit, then sucked and pulled it back. Her thighs were hugging his hips. Her hand around his cock moving with more aggression. Lest he come then and there from the mere feel of her thumb pressing under the head, he pulled away, took her by the ass, and turned them around.</p><p>She settled astride him, lowering her pelvis until his shaft was wedged very firmly against her clit. He held her by the ass while she rocked her hips, grinding herself against him as her fingers clawed into his scalp.</p><p>Every churn of her hips angled his cock lower, spreading open her cunt as her fluids coated him. He groaned from the feel of it, from the heat and the pressure and the anticipation of how easy it would be to just turn his hips down one more inch and thrust himself fully inside of her.</p><p>But he didn't. She was too commanding. Her tongue curled deep into his mouth as she kissed him, as she pressed their bodies flush together too close to breathe.</p><p>His hands moved up her back, over her shoulders, back down her spine and around her ass again. She held him firmly by the neck as she lifted herself higher, seeming to feel the same sense of impatience he was. The head of his cock pressed between her folds, just barely kept in place by the subtle effort of her downward thrusts.</p><p>He turned his hips up into her on instinct. She was so ready. So wet. He could feel it moving down his shaft. Oh, how he wanted to take that plunge, but her breathy moans humming into his mouth kept him on the precipice.</p><p>She spread her legs a little wider, putting her weight into her knees as she fucked just the head, taking him in only an inch before pulling away. She could feel her insides clenching each time, becoming more and more desperate with every teasing pass.</p><p>She broke away from the kiss to breathe, angling her head down until their foreheads touched. Her eyes had closed. So had his. She moved her hips a little lower.</p><p>His cock throbbed at the sound of her gasp, hardening, and feeling so fucking swollen as she teased him. He was moving his hips now as well, meeting her halfway and pushing himself deeper.</p><p>This feeling consumed them, pulled them deeper together into a seed of lust as his cock penetrated her just a little bit more with each thrust. One of his hands hand splayed on her lower back, exuding a modicum of force that betrayed his anxious yearning for her.</p><p>Sarah opened her eyes as she sank lower, taking half of him into her as her mouth dropped open. Her expression was wilting. Was strained. Their cloudy eyes locked as she whimpered and pressed all the way down.</p><p>Jareth felt his back bow, inching him higher up in his seat as Sarah did the same. She took all of him now, right to the hilt, and the torrid constriction of her sweet little cunt had his fingers digging into the flesh of her ass.</p><p>She lifted and pressed down again, rocking her hips in a motion that had them both moaning. Their mouths hovered open closely together, hot breath mingling in the deathly small space.</p><p>He let her ride him at that aching pace, staring deeply into her eyes and losing himself in the wilderness of those irises. She was so beautiful. So savage. So very his.</p><p>His hands moved to clamp around her hips bones and pulled her sharply down as he thrust, brutally, up.</p><p>Sarah cried out, tensing her knees and hunching her shoulders from the surprise. Her hands moved to hold the back of the couch on either side of his head, bracing herself against the series of hard thrusts he shot into her.</p><p>Fuck— it was good. He was good. He was long, and hard, and knew exactly what he was doing. He guided her faster, fucking her with that same sense of conviction as before. She was on top, but his hold on her was dominating. The look in his eye calculated.</p><p>She was distracted by just how deeply he could go when he suddenly leaned forward.</p><p>She was forced to release the couch and hold him by the shoulders instead, staring up at the ceiling as he bit down on the crook of her neck. One hand moved up into his hair to hold him there, taking back some control as she aligned her movements with his.</p><p>She could hear him breathing heavily, panting in the effort to hold back a moan. That carnal sound did wicked things to her. She wanted more of it.</p><p>One of Jareth's hands pressed flat against her back while the other knotted in her hair, jerking and bowing her back so he could have better access to her breasts. The undulation of her body pushed them up into his face, becoming so tender with the need to be touched. He sucked on her nipples, and pushed her hips down before locking her in place, keeping himself rooted deep as he, so subtly, moved his cock inside her.</p><p>Her moans turned low and her face hot at this new angle. She couldn't escape it. Her neck was starting to strain against his grip. She was going to come from this—</p><p>In a flash Jareth let go and flipped her around, sitting her back on his dick as he pushed her shoulders forward. Sarah gasped as she fell, but thankfully the rim of the coffee table was just close enough to grab onto. She held onto it for all she was worth, doing nothing more than endure the pounding of Jareth's thrusts as he lifted her by the ass and pushed her onto each one.</p><p>"Fuck—" she heard him say, turning around as best she could to watch as he cast his head back. His brow furrowed tightly, the muscle in his jaw flexing as he watched, with such lust, the way his cock slid in and out of her.</p><p>That sight had her getting hot in the face again, turned on by the knowledge of the influence she had over him. He wanted her. He was coming undone because he wanted her—</p><p>Sarah felt herself being pulled once again, this time back against his chest as a hand wrapped around the front of her neck. Her back arched to accommodate the new angle, turning her hips back as he continued to fuck her just a little too deeply.</p><p>His free hand pressed against her stomach, and she turned her head to the side to face him.</p><p>The hand holding her neck spidered up her jaw, keeping her in an awkward, but necessary, position as he kissed her messily. He bit down on her lip. She curled her tongue around his teeth. His other hand lowered to press two fingers against her clit.</p><p>She shrieked into his mouth, writhing in that uncomfortable position as he played with her. Her legs started to shake. Her breath, coming sharply through her nose, quickened. He swallowed all of her moans as her cunt pulled him in deeper.</p><p>He could feel a discernable tension moving through her posture. Could feel her muscles spasming with the want for release. He resisted the urge to come alongside her and instead urged her to lay against the seat of the couch.</p><p>She was on her back now, but he kept her lower half turned to the side. Her body dipped as one of his knees sank into the couch cushion as he came to kneel above her. He was still inside. Still filling her so full. She reached back and grabbed the arm of the couch when he took hold of her sideways hips and jerked back.</p><p>She liked him at this angle. Liked the way the shadows cast themselves over his torso as he reared back. He was lean but fit, long fingered and narrow hipped. The veins in his hands stood more prominently as he pulled her to meet his thrusts, over and over. Watching the way his abdominals and pelvic V flexed was enough to unravel her all on their own.</p><p>Her mouth dropped open with dry lips, her stare on him ravenous and unblinking as a tight feeling deep in her abdomen was quick to peak.</p><p>A high pitched moan escaped her and her knees pressed together. He looked so focused. So enveloped. His chest rose high on labored breaths. His —once so carefully crafted— hair was now falling into disarray over his face.</p><p>Sarah's bowing back hit a perfect axis and she froze. He was keeping her there on purpose. Drawing out her orgasm as long as he could. He leaned over her, putting his weight into his hand as he gripped the arm of the couch just like she. They were near eye level now. Locked. Both entranced and falling deeper. Sarah's moans turned into falsetto cries when she—</p><p>
  <em>THUMP THUMP THUMP.</em>
</p><p>The level of fright that plowed through Sarah had her nearly jumping clear off the couch. She was about to shriek. About to panic. About to come. Her eyes veered sharply upwards towards the door at the top of the stairwell, but, just before any reaction could give them away, Jareth's hand pressed firmly over her mouth.</p><p>He looked startled as well, but was much more composed. He froze mid-thrust, and silently turned to look back at the door.</p><p>"Huh? Is this locked? What the heck?" they heard a voice say. Sarah paled. Oh my God. <em>KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK</em>. "Hey, anybody in there?!"</p><p>The voice was a woman's —muffled and definitely drunk. Sarah started to scooch upright, but on reflex Jareth's arms locked and kept her where she was. She looked over at him and saw his chest was heaving —and he didn't look very happy either.</p><p>"Mary? What are you doing?" they heard next. Oh fuck. That was Karen. FACK.</p><p>"Trying to get into your bathroom," the woman, presumably named Mary, said. They heard Karen click her teeth.</p><p>"Well first of all, this is the basement. I told you the bathroom was over there."</p><p>"Huh? Basement? Ha. Guess that's why it's locked."</p><p>"It is?"</p><p>Uh oh. Sarah started to squirm again. If they opened the door, her stepmother would get a bird's eye view of their compromised (and highly inappropriate) state. Oh god. She hadn't felt this kind of terror since high school.</p><p>She was preemptively mortified, a feeling which rode alongside the panic that was steadily building at the fact that Jareth was idling with his dick still inside her and would not let her escape.</p><p>She felt his hand flex over her mouth, smothering her whimpers of protest, and watched his head slowly turn back towards her. His attention noticeably stayed on the door, however, even as he pulled back and gradually thrust forward once more.</p><p>Sarah's eyes widened. Was he— was he fucking serious right now?!</p><p>Sarah twitched at the jarring sound of Karen jangling the doorknob.</p><p>"Huh. So it is. Robert must have locked it. Guess he didn't want any of us lushes tripping down the stairs!"</p><p>Karen and her friend started to laugh. The sound was distorted, but still much too loud and too close to them for Sarah's liking. She was only feeling more and more on edge. And Jareth —fucking Jareth…</p><p>Satisfied they would not physically be interrupted, Jareth disregarded the remainder of their conversation and focused on fucking Sarah instead —their voices fading to no more than an ambient cluck in the background.</p><p>He moved slowly, carefully, drawing out to the tip before sliding back to the very base. Each slow thrust had her back arching high off the couch, hitting that special spot that she could have sworn was supposed to be more elusive.</p><p>But no. He'd learned all her <em>spots</em> months ago. He knew just what to do to get her to—</p><p>Sarah's eyes clenched tightly shut as she compulsively moaned into his hand. Her nerves were wracking through her, fear of exposure only amplifying the nuance of what he was doing to her. It was horrible. Mortifying. exhilarating. His fingers gripped around the side of her face as she squirmed, her eyes on his begging for mercy which he had absolutely no intention of giving her.</p><p>"Come on then, I'll show you where the actual bathroom is before you get too lost—"</p><p>Receding footsteps creaked along the floorboards, but Sarah was far too worked up to be relieved. Her attention was transfixed to his face —to his eyes and the vacant, yet desperate look he was giving her. His mouth dropped open. His whole body was moving with the rhythm of his hips. He'd forced his breathing to become silent. The constraint was just too much for her.</p><p>Sarah's hands sprang down to clutch his wrist as she twisted and screamed into his hand.</p><p>The orgasm hit her hard. Hit her immediately. Left her restless and wild. An impulsive moan escaped Jareth's mouth as he watched it unfurl, as he watched those eyes, with their heavy fanning lashes, wilt and melt and surrender gloriously.</p><p>After a long moment, she calmed down. She breathed heavily through her nose and the light came back to her eyes. Jareth had been so enraptured by it he'd never even noticed—</p><p>Sarah's eyes widened exponentially when she caught sight of all the forgotten Christmas decorations floating out of their boxes and into the air around them.</p><p>Seeing her look of alarm, Jareth glanced up...then sat back.</p><p>He released her face and turned to peer all around the room. To Sarah, being encroached on by a litany of moth-eaten Santa's and sinister jingle bells was enough to shatter the mood.</p><p>Oh, but not Jareth.</p><p>No, she was bewildered to find a smile of outright delight stretching across his face. He turned and looked down at her, oblivious to the nervous frown marring her face.</p><p>"That good, eh?" he asked teasingly. An immediate scowl twisted her face, but really it was a show of confusion. That was precisely the kind of weird shit she'd been so worried over. And yet to Jareth…</p><p>Jareth grinned like he was in such happy disbelief as he lifted a hand and snapped his fingers. And, just like that, every object drifted back to its proper place.</p><p><em>So effortless</em>, she thought. Like it never happened. Maybe...maybe she actually was safe with him…</p><p>Jareth tilted his head as he finally acknowledged her look of concern. Gently, he pulled on one of her legs, turning her flat on her back so he could lay himself against her. Her hands went to his chest tentatively, while his cradled her head and smoothed the worry from the corners of her brow.</p><p>"Don't frown," he said, then kissed her tenderly. "You'll be just fine."</p><p>Oh no. Now he'd done it. Sarah could feel the trigger in her set off in reaction to that kind, endearing look. She felt tears welling in her eyes. Products of those same stupid hormones that had just turned up the whole basement.</p><p>Jareth exhaled through his nose as he closed his eyes and kissed her again. His hands held her face, his thumbs lightly brushing away the beaded tears at the corner of her eyes.</p><p>She felt overwrought. Anxious. Too fucking happy. It was hard to sort through. She only wanted him to keep kissing her.</p><p>He murmured in the back of his throat when his hips pressed forward. He was still hard. Still delved deep inside. Sarah hugged him with her legs and wound her hands tightly around his back.</p><p>This felt like before. That moment on the ottoman. This felt like <em>feelings</em>, only this time she didn't fight it. This time, she felt it coming from him as well. He gave himself. Closed his eyes. Held her close. Let everything else go but her.</p><p>And she devoured it. She devoured that sense of love and longing and patience which she had spent the last two months agonizing over. She didn't totally get it. Did it even make sense? She'd never quite felt such a strong pull towards another person before. Never felt so connected to or reliant on a single touch.</p><p>The crazy in her brain told her maybe she loved him. Maybe a one night stand was all it took. The crazy in her brain told her not to dare let him go. Not to be smart and stoic and cowardly. She thought herself stupid for getting caught up in this. Maybe that wasn't such a bad thing.</p><p>Jareth's hand at the crown of Sarah's head pulled at her hair, bracing as he angled his head down into her neck. His breath was heavy again, little moans escaping between pants. His free hand pinned her hip to the couch and, as his pace quickened, she felt him harden inside her to the point of steel. He was getting close —so was she.</p><p>Her nails drew lines down his back as she shrieked, pressing her pelvis up against his as she came again. Jareth groaned, fucked her harder, wrapped his arms under her and drew up a knee to get at that perfect angle.</p><p>The sound of his voice, low and hoarse, filled her ear as he followed suite, coming in her as deeply as he could force himself. His thrusts turned sharp, precise, and filled her to the brim as she took everything he had.</p><p>He didn't expect it to feel so satisfying. Didn't expect himself to be caught breathless. He felt suddenly exhausted. That had...never happened before.</p><p>They came down together gradually, caught up in each other and the plateau of euphoria they'd derived. He kissed her. She kissed him back. They laid together like that while the whole world passed by.</p><p>She was a little surprised when he pulled out of her, even more when he did not rearrange them and thrust back in. No, he only turned her on her side away from him as he laid down beside her. His arms moved around her, their fingers entwined as she held them close to her chest.</p><p>They were quiet for a moment. She could feel his heart beating against her spine. It was so fast. She wasn't sure what to say...</p><p>"<em>Summon me</em>."</p><p>"What?"</p><p>Sarah glanced back reflexively. She caught his gaze from her peripheral, his one eye surprisingly close to her own. That pale iris...that dark liner…he was just so pretty.</p><p>"What I said to you that day...as I crossed worlds."</p><p>With a knitted brow, Sarah turned over to face him. It took her a second to catch up and realize he was finally answering her question.</p><p>
  <em>Summon him? He *wanted* me to summon him?</em>
</p><p>"Why?" she asked.</p><p>She used his arm as a pillow as she gazed at him. Her hands were knotted between their chests, slyly daring to unwind and press against him. There was a light sprinkling of hair there. She wanted to touch him more.</p><p>"I got the feeling...there was something unfinished between us," he said, lifting his hand to brush her hair behind her ear. His eyes moved all around her face, inspecting every detail it seemed. "I thought...if we were given more time...I might figure it out." His voice was quiet, calm. It made their intimate proximity feel even more so. Sarah licked her lips as she glanced away. So all these days...he'd been feeling it too? "Given our current position," he went on, with a shrewd angling of brow. "...It seems I was right."</p><p>She couldn't help but grin. He had a way of making the most mundane phrases sound playful, but she knew that behind that tone he was being serious. Their legs subconsciously intertwined, though she very consciously trailed a toe up the length of his calf.</p><p>Jareth inhaled deeply before settling his free hand on her shoulder. "Although...I didn't realize you couldn't hear it." And she tilted her head at the way he impulsively smiled. "All this time I've been waiting on your whim. It was starting to feel asinine."</p><p>Sarah's brow knitted. His grin was self-deprecating as he shook his head at whatever memory flashed to and from his mind. She felt guilty now. She had no idea. She really didn't think...he cared about seeing her again.</p><p>"I'm sorry," she said, looking deeply troubled. "I wanted to. I...really wanted to." And she fiddled with his hair. "I just...didn't want to embarrass myself if I was wrong. Calling you here is a bit more dramatic than picking up a phone," she said and looked up into his eyes. "But...what you said before —about kidnapping me. I don't understand."</p><p>Jareth regarded the furrow between her brows and the pout on her lips, and couldn't help but grin. His hand moved down her back, trailing his fingers lightly so she shivered.</p><p>"No? I would have thought that one obvious," he said. "You are the Labyrinth's Champion. You have <em>certain powers</em>." His head angled to rest against his own shoulder as his hand draped over her hip. "You cannot be coerced by magic. Incidentally, neither can you be tethered by it. I can only bring you to the Underground if you agree —that is true of any human," he explained, which was all news to her. His gaze lowered to stare at his fingers as they lightly tapped along her hip. "Second, I do not have the authority to keep you there by force." <em>Tap tap</em>. "I'm surprised you haven't realized that on your own. Have you never been curious to return? To see all those lovely <em>friends</em> you made…"</p><p>Sarah glanced down into the hollow of his neck. She'd never...really thought about all that. After so many years...hearing him say it all so plainly had her feeling like an ignoramus.</p><p>"I...no. No, I've never tried to go back. I was afraid of what might happen…" she said, then trailed off in a different direction. "My friends always came here instead—through the mirror. Which...is something I guess you can't do..." Her voice faded to nothing as contemplation took hold. So she really did have powers? Well, more like defenses, but still. Were there more? Would she have just grown old and died without ever realizing it? Jareth did not respond to her. She looked back up at him curiously. "Jareth?" she asked. He blinked back to attention. "What happens now?"</p><p>Pent up frustrations aside, they'd never actually resolved that matter, had they? Jareth moved his hand back up her side and sifted his fingers through her hair.</p><p>"I told you, you need to come back with me."</p><p>She frowned.</p><p>"But I...I can't. I can't just abandon my life here."</p><p>"That magic is not yours," Jareth said, frankly, and gestured down her torso with his eyes. "It is the child's. It is only because your bodies are connected that you are able to tap into it. This state could fade, or it could last the entire pregnancy. Being unable to control it makes you a danger to yourself and the people around you," he explained. Sarah's frown only worsened. "—not to mention the shock you would instill by revealing the existence of magical forces to otherwise well-adjusted individuals. We have found it beneficial over the years to keep our world a secret from yours, you know." His words were without inflection, but they displeased her all the same. She didn't know what to say. She knew he was right, but…</p><p>Jareth's expression softened as she regarded her.</p><p>"You still don't trust me," he said with disappointment. Sarah reacted by looking sharply over at him.</p><p>"That's not—"</p><p>"Make a wish."</p><p>Sarah blinked.</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"Make a wish," he repeated, calmly. "Form a contract with me. Magic is binding. If you cannot trust my word, then trust your own."</p><p>She was confused. That seemed heavy. She couldn't fully grasp why he was being so accommodating.</p><p>"Jareth…" she said, then shifted uncomfortably. "...what am I even supposed to say?"</p><p>"Firstly, don't <em>say</em> anything," he said, locking a knuckle under her chin and turning her face up towards him. "Write it down. Choose your words carefully, and make sure there is no room for loopholes or interpretation."</p><p>He held her gaze very sternly as he said this. Sarah's brow drew tightly together.</p><p>"You're serious," she said, skeptically.</p><p>"Is this a matter worth joking about?"</p><p>"No, I just...I'm surprised." Needing some distance, Sarah turned out of his embrace and sat herself upright. Jareth leaned up on an elbow. "Please don't take this the wrong way, but...if you didn't go all Rumpelstiltskin on me, I was pretty sure you were going to flake." She peered back at him with a wince. His returning stare was unreadable. "You told me to lower my standards, remember?"</p><p>Jareth let his head drop into his hand as he stared at her. He didn't look particularly insulted.</p><p>"Is that what you would prefer?"</p><p>Sarah looked away.</p><p>"No…"</p><p>"Then make the wish."</p><p>She glanced back again, doing her best to dissect his neutral expression. Then she hugged herself and took a deep breath.</p><p>"I don't want to stay exclusively in the Underground," she said. Jareth reached out and poked her in the back.</p><p>"I never said you had to."</p><p>"I want our kid to have a life in this world too."</p><p>"Did you think it would not?"</p><p>Sarah turned around again and looked down at him.</p><p>"I don't know what to think, Jareth. That's kind of the point."</p><p>With a sigh, Jareth sat up and situated his pants.</p><p>"Like I keep saying, make your wish. Set your terms. Do whatever you feel you need to in order to trust me enough to take care of you."</p><p>He didn't notice the red in her cheeks that flared just then. Didn't realize the gravity of what he was actually saying. Or maybe he did. Maybe this was all just common sense to him. Still, she was moved by it. Greatly affected by just how readily he was accepting all of this as a part of his life.</p><p>"Alright," she said, then stood to start gathering up her clothes. "Let me find a pen."</p><hr/><p>The silence that spanned between them as Sarah focused on her task was only marginally awkward. They'd both dressed, Jareth now lounging on the couch sans coat, while Sarah picked bits of soot from her sweater. It was amazing. The damn thing had been in flames yet it was little more than dusty. All the while she cursed herself for not wearing a camisole or something underneath. Stupid pom poms...</p><p>She was sitting on the floor in front of him, scribbling on a piece of wrapping paper out on the coffee table. When she was finished writing, she stood and sat next to him again, keeping her posture stiff as she gave him the paper. Jareth's eyes glossed over the text, and she watched him do so anxiously. Was she really going to do this?</p><p>"Good," Jareth finally said, then handed it back to her. "This will do."</p><p>"You sure?" she asked. Jareth arched a brow. "Okay. Okay. Sorry..." and she took in a deep breath. Once she said this, there was no going back —for either of them. And, actually, she was more worried for his sake than hers. What he was proposing was tantamount to shackles. Hm...proposing.</p><p>Whoa girl —don't go getting too far ahead of yourself.</p><p>She closed her eyes and cleared her mind. This was terrifying. This was surreal. This was... something she was very much looking forward to.</p><p>She licked her lips and peered to the side, locking eyes with Jareth as she tentatively said, "I wish...that Jareth, the Goblin King, will always ensure the safety, wellbeing, and happiness of myself and my children —that he will never harm or betray me or my children, and never infringe upon —or permit others to infringe upon— our freedoms and personal liberties."</p><p>She looked worried as she crumpled the paper in her lap. Jareth stared at her all the while, then bowed his head as he outstretched his hands.</p><p>"I accept."</p><p><em>Wow</em>. ...so it was that easy? Really? She didn't know what to expect, but she did expect <em>something</em>. A gust of wind. A magic tingle. Anything to signify a bond had been formed. But nope. There was nothing. Nothing but Jareth's word…</p><p>"Were you hoping for a boom of thunder?" Jareth asked, with a suppressed bit of amusement. Sarah glanced back at him with a frown.</p><p>"Yeah. Kind of."</p><p>He laughed, trailing his hand affectionately over her shoulder as he stood. Sarah followed him.</p><p>"Now what?" she asked. He bent down to pick up his coat —a red flag that he was readying to leave. Sarah felt a twinge of anxiety flare. "Do...I have to go now?"</p><p>Jareth shrugged on his coat then turned to face her.</p><p>"No," he said, to her relief. "I imagine your family would be quite alarmed should you suddenly vanish from their basement on Christmas Eve."</p><p>"Oh. Yeah...right…"</p><p>"You have other loose ends to tie as well, I assume?" he asked. He was arching a brow at her. Sarah pursed her lips.</p><p>"Yeah...I'll have to put in a leave of absence at work…"</p><p>At the very least. How long would she be in the Underground exactly? Should she just quit? What was she going to tell her parents? Her friends? Oh geez… but those were trivial matters in the scheme of things. She did agree that waiting out her magic symptoms in the Underground was best for everyone...and she should be able to come back whenever she wanted, so...</p><p>"What about you?" she asked. Jareth pulled free his hair from behind the collar of his jacket.</p><p>"I'll also need a few days to...prepare," he said. Sarah's tongue pressed against the backs of her teeth.</p><p>"Okay…"</p><p>Jareth paused and grinned. She had a rather scrutinizing look in her eye. How cute.</p><p>"I'm not married," he said out of left field. Sarah blinked. "—since you brought it up earlier." The grin on his face let her know he was teasing. She tried not to scowl. "And, like I said, I don't have any children. Your arrival is going to be seen as….very exciting."</p><p>"Exciting?" Sarah repeated. That was not the word she would have gone with. Jareth's grin curled on one side, like he had a dirty little secret kept behind it.</p><p>"Yes. You'll see."</p><p>Now that was ominous. Sarah crossed her arms as she fought to deny her sudden flare of insecurity. Behind it all, she couldn't stop worrying over whether or not he was going to leave now. It made her nervous.</p><p>"But first…"</p><p>Sarah looked up. It was reflexive. She'd expected him to still be smiling at her. However, the look she was greeted with was a surprisingly close reflection of her own. There was some tension in his brow.</p><p>"But first?" she repeated. Jareth's eyes flickered down. His jaw clenched. Sarah interpreted these mannerisms as nervous ones, though she didn't understand why he would be. He took a step towards her and kept his eyes fixed on the little puff of soot he plucked from her torso.</p><p>"...You're going to form another contract with me."</p><p>"What?"</p><p>She watched his throat bob as he swallowed. Watched his brow furrow a bit more.</p><p>"Promise me…" he said, then paused. He took another small step toward her and placed his hands around the nape of her neck. He came in very close. Angled her head up so she stared into his eyes. She reached up and gripped his jacket in nervous anticipation. His eyes on hers were serious, intense, <em>scared</em>. "Promise me that once I leave, I <em>will</em> see you again," he said. Sarah drew back. "—And not in another two months. Not after the child is born or when you're on your deathbed. By...week's end. Swear to me that you will call on me by week's end."</p><p>She was shocked by the transparency he conveyed. Moved by the sincerity in his eyes. So he didn't quite trust her either? He was afraid that she would ghost? She didn't know why she was so surprised. Maybe she'd just been in too many bad relationships. Maybe it was just hard to believe a decent guy existed, let alone that <em>Jareth</em> might be one of them.</p><p>Or maybe...maybe she was hesitant to believe he might actually like her. That this whole situation was about more than just <em>taking responsibility</em> to him.</p><p>She wanted to believe that. Desperately.</p><p>"I promise," she said, then leaned up on her toes to kiss him. She let her lips linger, then fluttered her lashes against his cheek as she added, "I will wish for you by the week's end."</p><p>Jareth's hand lifted to graze along her cheek. Her gesture seemed to placate him. The look in his eye softened.</p><p>"Good. There's no magic behind this...so I will be very displeased if you don't."</p><p>She lowered from her toes but kept her hands on his chest.</p><p>"Well, you know where I live now. So..." Her eyes roamed away conspicuously, trying to lighten the mood. By the time they made their way back, he was smiling —just barely. "What?"</p><p>"...Nothing."</p><p>"Something?" she countered. There was a twinkle in his eye now. It made her suspicious. A feeling which increased with the way his wry grin curled.</p><p>"I'll tell you later."</p><p>Sarah's eyes narrowed.</p><p>"Okay…?"</p><p>She looked perplexed as he reached up and caressed her temples.</p><p>"I'm just...glad it was you," he said. Huh?</p><p>He let her go and turned away, even going so far as to take a step like that was it—</p><p>"Do...you have to leave? Like, right now?" she asked on impulse. Jareth paused.</p><p>"Not this instant, no."</p><p>"How long can you stay?"</p><p>"Your wish was that I ensure your happiness," he said and gave her a well-mannered dip of the head. "Indefinite terms mean I can stay as long as you'd like."</p><p>Sarah blinked. Oh snap. He'd said before that he couldn't stay in the Above for long periods of time. Had she just bypassed fae law? Talk about a loophole…</p><p>"Would...you like to stay for a bit?" she asked tentatively. "I mean...I know you have your own party to get back to, so it's fine if you don't…" her voice trailed off and her eyes turned to the side awkwardly. A little grin twitched the corner of his lips.</p><p>"They'll get on just fine without me."</p><p>"Okay…" Sarah said, wishing he would have answered her question instead. Oh well. Might as well roll with it. "Can your preparations wait 'til morning?"</p><p>She peered up to find him looking quite aloof.</p><p>"They can."</p><p>"Great," she said, then angled away. "Um...I guess I'll go get us some snacks from upstairs...there's a TV down here. So...we can watch a movie or something...if you want."</p><p>"Alright."</p><p>"Okay…" she said again, fussing with the sleeve of her sweater as she took a step towards the stairs. "—Hang tight."</p><hr/><p>Sarah shushed her stupid racing heart as she made her way out of the basement. God. She was acting like a teenager —getting all antsy and shy like that. He was probably laughing at her. Humoring her. <em>No. No stop negging yourself, Sarah. You're just emotional from —from everything. Just enjoy it. No matter how weird it is…</em></p><p>But hot damn, it <em>was</em> weird. Wasn't it? Was this not a twilight zone? Had she not just fucked his brains out <em>again</em> in her freaking parents' basement?! Fuck. And now she was scheduled to basically move in with him and he was forever obliged to make her happy... Did this mean they were dating? Would their relationship have a title at all? How would she be regarded by his people? Why was she feeling so freaking giddy despite all these unanswered questions?</p><p>She shook her head as she internally berated, and wasn't paying the least bit of attention to anyone as she snuck into the kitchen and began arbitrarily loading up a platter.</p><p>"Sarah? There you are!"</p><p>Sarah looked over at Karen making a hurried b-line straight at her. "I haven't seen you all night. Where have you been?"</p><p>"Huh?" was Sarah's immediate response. She froze for a second, and then shook her head with a dumb smile. "Nowhere. Just floating around like everyone else," she said. Karen pursed her lips as she inspected her.</p><p>"Hm…" she said. Sarah slowed her foraging. She knew that hum. "How did you like Henry?" she asked. "He's a very nice boy, isn't he?"</p><p>Sarah shrugged.</p><p>"He sure is, Karen. He's as nice as a Jamaican sunset. Too bad I don't care—"</p><p>Karen gasped.</p><p>"Sarah! That's very rude," she said, darting her eyes all around like someone might hear. "Why don't you like him?"</p><p>Sarah slapped a big ol' glob of whipped cream onto a slice of pie.</p><p>"He's not blond," she said, deadpan. Karen scoffed and rolled her eyes.</p><p>"Since when were you so superficial?" she asked, hands going to hip. Sarah cocked a bored brow.</p><p>"Since just now," she replied, then took up her tray in hand. Karen's eyes darted to it, and she scowled in confusion at the gratuitous amount of food and drink she'd just now noticed Sarah had been gathering. Sarah panicked and turned away in a flash. " 'Scuse me," she said, and smiled awkwardly. "I'm uh…I'm starving."</p><p>Karen didn't say anything, not that she gave her the chance to. No, Sarah practically ducked for cover as she scuttled out of the kitchen. She pretended to play hostess, acting like all this food was for general pickings in the next room. As expected, no one noticed her. She entered the hallway leading back to the basement when she nearly bumped food first straight into Toby.</p><p>They both startled back, leaving Sarah to wonder why the hell <em>he</em> was so jumpy. He had a panicked look in his eye too. Hm...</p><p>"Hey there. I'm surprised you're still up," she said, inspecting him carefully. He wouldn't look her in the eye. That's when she noticed something in his hand —which he tried to conceal behind his back. "...Whatcha got there, bud?"</p><p>Toby rocked back on his heels and casually revealed his glass.</p><p>"Ah...some eggnog. Why?"</p><p>Sarah arched a brow.</p><p>"That's from the fridge and not the punch bowl, right?"</p><p>Toby's eyes rolled oh so casually to the side.</p><p>"Yeah..."</p><p>"Uh huh," Sarah said, her expression falling dead. Toby got a little stiff. "I can smell you from here, you know," she added.</p><p>"I dunno what you're talking about. Must be Mom you're smelling," he said. Sarah laughed.</p><p>"Maybe so, but you better not let her catch you with that. She'll be furious." Toby, anticipating a scolding, paused and looked at Sarah with a light of hope.</p><p>"You're not going to tell on me?" he asked. Sarah shrugged.</p><p>"Who do you think I am?" she asked. "It's Christmas and you're thirteen. A glass of eggnog isn't going to kill you." And then she leaned in devilishly. "Besides, now you're in my debt."</p><p>Toby, totally unphased by her threat, stared very puzzledly at the tray of food she held.</p><p>"Why do you have so much crap?" he asked. Sarah flinched.</p><p>"Who asked you?" she snapped in a fluster. "Maybe I'm saving it for spring. Now get."</p><p>She jerked her chin in mock impatience, but really she was freaking the fuck out. If one more person made a show about her frickin snacks…</p><p>Toby tugged down the sleeve of his sweater to conceal his drink, then dashed around her. He caught himself in the archway, however, and she glanced back just as he turned around and, with a wide smile, said, "Thanks Sarah."</p><p>Sarah huffed as her posture relaxed. This freaking kid…</p><p>"You got it, bucko."</p><hr/><p>Sarah reentered the basement with that same stupid smile on her face. A part of her toyed with the idea of inviting Jareth upstairs, everyone was so drunk they probably wouldn't find anything too out of place about him, but...no. No, she was not ready for that.</p><p>She hit the bottom of the stairs and spied him lounging on the couch again. He'd taken off his coat. Made himself <em>comfortable</em>. Goddammit, face —stop grinning.</p><p>She stepped around the couch and set her tray down on the coffee table.</p><p>"Here ya go —a yuletide feast," she said with unintentional irony. Jareth peered up at her and laughed. She took a cup of cocoa from the tray and sat next to him, realizing he'd been staring into a crystal. "What are you doing?"</p><p>"Checking up on the rabble," he said, then offered her a look into the orb. Sarah leaned in closer to him, fixing her eyes on the strangely fluid looking glass and the myriad of pictures that were contained within it.</p><p>She didn't understand what she was looking at right away. It just looked like a bunch of bodies. She narrowed her eyes. …And then it clicked. Oh. <em>OH</em>.</p><p>Her eyes widened bashfully as she leaned back in her seat, clutching her wholesome cocoa close to her chest as she looked back at Jareth.</p><p>"I see...they seem to be enjoying themselves," she said and took a dainty sip. "You sure you wouldn't rather head back there?"</p><p>Jareth rolled the crystal along his hand until it vanished, then cast an arm along the back of the couch as he inched towards her. She looked a little meek. It contrasted greatly against the wanton sex fiend he knew her to be. It couldn't have possibly been the frost-bitten orgie that was making her shy…</p><p>Amused, Jareth angled his head as he leaned in towards her. There was a swirly mountain of whipped cream in her cup. How convenient. He curled a finger through it and brought it to her lips.</p><p>And there she was —readily revealed by the spark in her eye as she opened her mouth and accepted. He smiled as he pressed his finger to her tongue, pulling back slowly as he watched her lick away the cream. <em>Meek</em>.<em> Ha</em>. Who was she trying to fool?</p><p>"Trust me, pretty kitty," he said, with a seductive drop in tenor as his gaze turned hazy on her mouth. He thrust his index finger inward again, provoking her to suckle and kiss it suggestively. He watched her tongue curl, watched her saliva spread and her teeth glint, watched the eagerness build within her —and his cock throbbed.</p><p>He took her cup from her and placed it back on the table, then traced his wet finger along her lips as he leaned in...</p><p>"I am <em>exactly </em>where I want to be," he said and sealed the words with a kiss.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N- Happy Holidays if you celebrate them =D See you at Easter!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A/N- omg I made it. I actually forgot Easter was so early in the month this year. I started this beast on Monday, and have been consistently panicking throughout the week. Alas, kudos to me for banging out almost 28k words in 6 days lol. *phew*</p><p>So...I'm thinking one more chapter. Potentially at Midsummer or Lughnasadh? Hm...we shall seeeee.</p><p>P.S. Those following the timeline know that, at this point, Sarah's pregnancy is in full swing. This story is basically a PWP, so...you know what I'm saying lol. If such depictions are not your cup of tea, I may suggest shying away from this chapter. That said, I'm trying to continuously write things I've never written before, so this was...something =P</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>
  <strong>Night of a Thousand Deaths: Beltane</strong>
</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>(kind of)</strong>
</p><hr/><p>A bird twittered —was twittering —<em>had been</em> twittering —badly —for an hour, at least. No. No, that was too generous. Scratch that. <em>All morning</em> (to be accurate) the incessant thing prattled.</p><p>A sourceless falsetto —practicing for its orchestrative debut, no doubt— replayed the same chipper, chirping chord over and over until, eventually, a cluster of its fettered, feathered, flustered friends cut it short —screaming in frustrated protest the thoughts they all must have shared in a cacophonous vocalise. After a moment, all would fall silent. Sarah would take a breath. —And then the damn thing would start up again.</p><p>On multiple occasions, she found herself scanning the lawn for a rock. One good throw would shut the thing up. Thankfully, however —lest she commit an egregious act of avecide— she wasn't invested enough to move from her seat. Let the critics handle it, she told herself. Creatures that could speak its language and were, without any loss of translation between their two species, well at work belittling the poor thing on its most notable and appalling lack of pitch.</p><p>And so she tried to just enjoy it. It was a beautiful day, after all, with beautiful weather, and beautiful scenery, and all those other stereotypical descriptors that usually accompanied a crisp and sunny spring morning.</p><p>She tickled a spot behind the ear of the rabbit that lounged in her lap —but more on that later.</p><p>She took a deep breath of fresh, sweet smelling air —warmed by the sun yet still sharp in the nose. A trace of winter remained, fleeting on the breeze along with a vague humidity and droplets of dew that still littered the lawn.</p><p>But soon those would leave. Soon, that bird would shut up. Soon, this cute little bunny would hop down from her sweaty, overheating lap.</p><p>She heard a giggle. A flttering, gay echo. It came beyond the hedge just ahead. A woman, undoubtedly. Next, she heard a snap of twig underfoot and a shuffle of skirt. She heard the voice of a man next, uttering a cordial "careful now" from somewhere beyond.</p><p>They were getting close. About to spring the final trap. Sarah wondered if they, unlike so many others, would be smart enough to evade it.</p><p>"Ah!"</p><p>A scream. A shrill, yet wildly excited shriek. And then laughter. So much happy, disappointed laughter.</p><p>Nope. They did <em>not</em> evade it.</p><p>The bird had lulled for the moment, either resting its voice for the second act, or had been beaten into violent submission by its (also suspiciously silent) peers —alas, she'd stopped paying attention.</p><p>The bunny kicked its leg rapidly on reflex against Sarah's teasing touch.</p><p>She was alone. Well, effectively. If the rosy cheeked bun bun on her lap was not considered sentient company, then neither were its three dozen or so siblings currently lazing about the lawn.</p><p>One of them had thumped up to her podium, tickling her bare toes with its curious nose and whiskers and making her twitch.</p><p>There were more cries to be heard in the distance. More tricks and traps sprung on this most tranquil spring day.</p><p>She was encased by hedges, preened and cut in a circular fashion. They stood at six foot two —the most ideal of heights, she was told— and obscured from her any manner of deranged entertainment beyond her own wild imaginings. Cries of joy, some of those were. Others...of fright.</p><p>Between she and them were bushes and barrels of pink peonies, planters of periwinkle hyacinths and pale, yellow daffodils. The lawn was dappled with the floral freckles of some very insistent snowdrops, pastel sprinkles of delicate anemones, and even the odd buttercup or two.</p><p>The lawn itself was level, but hardly flat. No, it too had its aesthetic place in the garden. Patches of actual blue grass painted the green slate in a wash of muted celeste, cadet, and turquoise. To the skating eye, it might look like an actual sea, ripples of wind moving as crested highlights over the tightly clipped blades.</p><p>She was on a chaise, a ceremonial ornament without question, but still suitably plush and accommodating. It was white, with a cushion of deep, maroon velvet, and stood atop a rectangular, marble stage of sorts —boasting three little steps at just the right height for the ease of her cluster of coney, cottontailed friends.</p><p>Her dress was also white, another ceremonial ornament —as was she. A loose A-line, made of gossamer draping in just enough layers to render certain areas opaque. The sleeves were thick straps, featuring pinned, silk flowers with beaded opals for stamen. They matched the dainty crown of paperwhites and daisies she wore in her hair.</p><p>She wore a thin silver chain around her neck and a matching anklet, dangling a white metal charm of foreign meaning —a gift from Jareth those had been, and most certainly <em>not</em> ceremonial ornaments.</p><p>"Oh my goodness. Please tell me this is the exit," she heard a woman say. Sarah sat up straight as the couple came into view.</p><p>There was a break in the hedge directly across from her, a gateway, where so many fae couples with identical looks of both immense joy and relief came forth to greet her. The woman, with her arm laced with her partner's, squeezed it tightly, and she even bent forward as a hand pressed firmly to her heart.</p><p>The look on her face spoke for itself, as did the haphazard, unintentional, and presumably unknown, crown of sticks and leaves that jutted out from the sides of her once perfectly fixed hair.</p><p>"Sweet Ostara, thank the heavens. We've made it," she said on a long exhale. Her partner, a man Sarah vaguely recognized, laughed to himself and helped the poor dear along.</p><p>The bunny, a fluffy snow white with spots of black and taupe (who Sarah had internally named cookie dough), was roused by the commotion and erected its ears as it leaned up on her lap, looking sharply over at them.</p><p>Sarah held back a laugh of her own as she settled the rabbit down.</p><p>The couple, a pair of low ranking courtiers Sarah had seen but not necessarily met, approached her platform and knelt readily before it.</p><p>"My Lady, good morning. You look beautiful today," said the man.</p><p>"As she does every day," said the woman —to him— with a curt arching of brow.</p><p>"Thank you. Did you have any trouble finding me?" Sarah asked.</p><p>"Indeed yes," the woman readily replied, keeping her look of horror directed at the ground (they were still kneeling). "His Majesty is quite ruthless this year. We heard much screaming in the maze."</p><p>"We almost fell prey to a few of those traps ourselves," added the man.</p><p>Sarah bit on a grin.</p><p>"So I can tell. Regardless, you've made it to the center. Congratulations."</p><p>Her words and her smile were heartfelt, conveying both amusement and pride, and she dipped her head towards them respectfully. The couple, peering up at her, bowed their heads as well.</p><p>Knowing what came next, Sarah angled her feet towards the marble saucer that sat below them on the final step. Both the man and the woman took turns gently washing and drying her feet, then stood from the ground.</p><p>Sarah, so fucking grateful to finally get this hot water bottle of a rodent off her lap, picked the critter up and handed it out to them.</p><p>"May your house be blessed with a plentiful bounty," she said, and the couple lowered their heads as the woman accepted the rabbit.</p><p>"And yours as well, My Lady."</p><p>Then they turned and left, heading to the right towards another break in the hedge (the much sought after exit). Sarah stared after them absently as they receded, watching the way the noblewoman cooed and nuzzled the hot, tightly squeezed bunny like it were her own child.</p><p>Well….another one down —and she glanced around the lawn— only….fifty-seven more to go?</p><p>She sighed as a new bunny hopped up into her lap, filling its predecessor's glaring and still heated vacancy.</p><p>Today was Easter, if it wasn't obvious. First in her world, and now in this one. Originally, it seemed the fae did not celebrate this particular (*<em>cough cough*, commercial</em>) holiday, but instead honored the traditions of Beltane and the changing of the season —which was drawing near in a mere three weeks. Upon learning how close together these two holidays fell, Jareth had the <em>positively grand</em> idea to combine the two into a three week —yes, <em>three week</em>— long celebration. <em>A festival of accordance. Of coming together. Of unity between the two realms!</em> —as Othello, Jareth's effective public relations advisor, had so emphatically said.</p><p>Needless to say, the <em>royal party planning committee</em> could not have approved of the idea more. (it, of course, had a much more distinguished and official sounding name, but Sarah was not one to devote too many brain cells to remembering such things, at least not when she had such delightful things as sciatica and rampaging heartburn to occupy the more trivial compartments of her retention)</p><p>Centuries old religious, cultural traditions aside, the fae were <em>a modern people always evolving and adapting, eager to take on new customs and grow alongside their Aboveground brethren</em>, she was told. Or, in other words, no one —not even the most devout druid or diehard— would dream to turn down a near <em>month long bender.</em></p><p>Court had lit up in pure <em>exaltation!</em> at hearing all the strange and contrary customs performed by the humans in the mundane world —as told by Sarah. Stories of church and Jesus were all well and good (with of course a raised brow of intrigue at that one <em>resurrection</em> bit), but what really sparked the highlight on their eyes were tales of <em>the hunt</em>, and <em>the treasures</em>, and the employment of some very pagan and potentially spicy <em>fertility</em> symbols.</p><p>Ooh Sarah should have known what she was getting herself into; but, of course, irony would have her overlook the fabulously crimped hair, and the outlandish make up, and the opulent attire, and the wild sex parties, and the brutal, always near (sometimes actually) fatal parlor games, and every other less than subtle clue to the gratuity and sheer excessiveness that was, by definition, <em>these people</em>.</p><p>But, in retrospect, she supposed it could have been worse —from her limited perspective at least. <em>They definitely went a little overboard with the rabbits, though,</em> she told herself.</p><p>Oh well. T'was all in good fun. And they did seem to be enjoying themselves…</p><p>Another scream. A loud one. And a snap —a bear trap? And then the outrageous laughter of goblins. Oh dear...</p><p>She'd been sitting there all morning. The game, the <em>opening ceremony</em>, as it were, was a quite perilous and very on brand adaptation of an egg hunt. Jareth's court had coupled up and set about in a massive hedge maze, needing to outwit and overcome a number of —what she could only imagine were— ridiculous and deadly traps. Fae were of course more durable than humans, however, so what was a little Sunday maiming, really?</p><p>Those who made it to the center were greeted by her —the Easter Princess, or whatever the hell stage name Duke Ergi had dubbed her in jest. Jareth had said it was only fitting. She was, after all, six months and now very noticeably pregnant —not to mention the mother of <em>the King's</em> child. Who better to represent the goddess of fertility on this quirky and vastly ill-conceived new holiday?</p><p>In a ritual of respect and purity, victors were to wash her feet in the bowl before accepting her blessing —a bouncing, bonny bunny. Sarah assumed the rabbits were to serve as an idol, bringing good fortune to the home. She'd given out a few dozen already, and, as she looked upward at the rising sun, wondered exactly how long this game was to go on for.</p><p>They had plans at noon, after all. It was freaking Easter.</p><p>She glanced over at the hedge when movement suddenly caught her eye. She hadn't heard any fumbling, so was surprised to see someone walking towards her.</p><p>She pursed her lips in a smile when she caught his eye, pressing her tongue to the back of her teeth as she tried not to shake her head.</p><p>"So, you finally made it?" she asked, cocking a brow as Jareth drew near.</p><p>He was dressed more informally than usual, fit to kill in a loose white tunic and tight black trousers. His hair was down today. It swayed in the breeze, causing him to run a hand —sans glove— sensuously through it.</p><p>"I've been lurking," he said, with a provocative grin. Sarah huffed through her nose and shifted in her seat. A hand rested over her stomach, subconsciously rubbing it.</p><p>"I thought maybe you'd fallen on your own sword," she said, teasingly. "I feel like it's been hours."</p><p>He was standing before her now, at eye level despite her being seated. His eyes quickly scanned over the ridiculous centerpiece she'd been reduced to, and then his grin etched wider.</p><p>"It has been," he confirmed, ignoring her quip as he briefly glanced down to her hand on her stomach. "Why? Are you tired? Sore?"</p><p>Oh, so doting. Such a frank tone and piercing gaze. She had to stifle a grin at his expense.</p><p>"No," she replied and stretched on a deep breath. "Just...a little bored."</p><p>Jareth tilted his head at the way her dress moved, or —more specifically— at the way her breasts strained the thin material on that inhale.</p><p>"Hm, in that case, allow me to stimulate you."</p><p>She giggled in the back of her throat as Jareth knelt down before her. She'd drawn her feet away from the bowl, suspending them close to the chaise with toes curled inward —<em>keep away!</em> they teased. What a shy little gesture, he thought. So becoming and yet absolutely nothing like her.</p><p>He reached out and took hold of one pale, bright foot and pulled it towards him without any effort at all. A naked thumb brushed over the crest, a feeling soon replaced by a kiss.</p><p>Sarah rolled her lower lip over her teeth. Oh, what a fine position for him to be in.</p><p>"A king on his knees is a sign of the end," he mumbled, his attention fixed on her delicate arches as he pulled forth her other foot and kissed it as well. "Did you know that?"</p><p>Sarah, in the effort not to curl her toes, was forced to press her knees together instead as she stared down at him.</p><p>"I did not. Sounds rather ominous," she replied.</p><p>"Indeed," said Jareth, placing another kiss to her ankle. Oh, what audacity. No other parishioner dared to take such liberties. "Although...today's instance...is, thankfully...less...dire," he spoke between slow, gentle kisses, and then pulled away to peer up at her. "I have made my way over hill and dale, through briar and brush, and now bow at your feet —alas, the game is over."</p><p>He spoke rather dramatically, with a little twirl of the hand which had her fighting back another chuckle. Sensing her amusement, his grin cocked on one side as their eyes locked.</p><p>"No one else made it through?" she asked with a hint of relief (she'd been previously briefed that Jareth would be the last <em>runner</em> —something to do with tradition or symbolism and the like).</p><p>"It seems not," Jareth said, cocking a brow at a few colorful memories that flashed behind his eyes. "You should see some of them —skulking out of the topiary all defeated and defiled. It's horribly undignified. Rainir did very well."</p><p>Yes, very well indeed. Rainir, the <em>master of games</em> and a veritable head honcho type figure on, not just the party planning committee, but Jareth's own inner circle, was something of a savant when it came to unique and imaginative ways to fuck people up —his place as the head of interrogation <em>well beyond</em> tenured. He was an intense individual, and deceptively cheerful, the type of person you needed to count both your words and your bra straps with —lest you find yourself in a position far more compromising than innocently running around a labyrinth after wishing away your baby brother.</p><p>But, thoughts of torture or its afflicter where the furthest things from Jareth's mind. He'd since taken to caressing her calves, trailing those long careful fingers down her ankles before dipping her right foot into the bowl.</p><p>She watched him wash her feet, in the same reverent manner as all the others, and yet...</p><p>"How are you? The rabble treating you well?"</p><p>Sarah ceased her salivating and blinked, reflexively glancing around. Huh?</p><p>"The bunnies?" she asked dumbly. Jareth exchanged one thoroughly cleaned foot for the other, then peered up with a smirk. That silent look let her know he knew <em>exactly</em> what had been on her mind —the bastard. "Heh. They're treating me just fine," she said, with nonchalance. Then she turned her head away, kept herself poised. Jareth let go of her foot, then leaned up on the step.</p><p>She felt his hands move up the length of her shins, over her knees, bunch up the hem of her dress as they snaked upwards of her thighs. Those thighs spread instinctively to accommodate his torso as he came nearer.</p><p>She was just glancing back when his hands grasped the sides of her waist, saw his eyes close just as a kiss was pressed to a spot below her navel.</p><p>"Good," he murmured, and, through the thin layers of her gossamer gown, she felt the heat of his breath.</p><p>His closed eyes painted him in a look of calm and comfort. She smiled as she reached down and ran her fingers through his hair.</p><p>"Careful now. You might make my harem jealous," she teased, speaking softly and leaning forward when he glanced up. "Rumor has it they can become quite vicious."</p><p>He was partially obscured beyond the round of her stomach, but she caught just enough of his sudden grin to know that it was wicked.</p><p>She felt his fingers flex as he moved to kneel on the second step and angled his head up towards her. She leaned down that extra inch, parting her lips just as he whispered, "<em>So can I</em>," and sealed it with a kiss.</p><p>Sarah closed her eyes and held him there, debating whether or not to make the moment satire by announcing the pure sacrilege he was performing. Here she was, trussed up in white and ribbons, on a cleanly cut stage with a court of plush, quibbled-nosed innocents. And here he was, taking this <em>goddess </em>as his own with those damned hands of his creeping back up her thighs…</p><p>To her surprise, and admitted disappointment, Jareth pulled away from her and the kiss at its natural end. He stood and took one of her hands, helping her to her feet lest poor humpty dumpty lose balance.</p><p>He was always very careful with her. Very considerate. After nearly four months, she was still surprised by it.</p><p>He held her by the hand as she stepped into the grass, then released her to walk by her own faculty as they headed, side by side, towards the exit.</p><p>"What's going to happen to all those rabbits, by the way?" Sarah asked. Jareth looked over at her. "They going to keep them as pets?"</p><p>"Pets?" Jareth repeated, and then laughed. "<em>Pf.</em> What a waste." And then he angled a brow down at her. "They're going to <em>eat</em> them —naturally."</p><p>Sarah stared back at him, and just uh...just blinked.</p><p>"...oh," she said. Jareth, trying not to laugh at her innocent reaction, laced their arms together as they abandoned the garden in favor of a courtyard.</p><p>"How else would they embody the sentiment?" he asked. Sarah shrugged.</p><p>"I uh...don't know, apparently." And then she looked back at the hedges. "So the hunt is over? What time is it?"</p><p>"It's nearly eleven."</p><p>Sarah's head shot back towards him.</p><p>"That's it?" she asked, then did a double take on the sun. "God, that felt a lot longer than four hours. I thought we were late."</p><p>"No such thing," Jareth said, shoving his shoulder lightly into hers so she would look over at him. "I wouldn't allow it."</p><p>Sarah arched a brow, her expression a familiar deadpan.</p><p>"Uh huh," was all she said, and glanced away.</p><p>For being such a supposed rare privilege, Mr. <em>I-Move-The-Stars-For-No-One</em>, sure did like to boast about his ability to do so. Was it irony, or hypocrisy? Oh well. She couldn't tease him too badly. It'd come in pretty handy a couple of times —on the days she'd double booked appointments across worlds, especially.</p><p>She was off musing in her own little world, and so did not realize Jareth was still staring at her.</p><p>"You look very pretty," he said. Sarah blinked out of her daze.</p><p>"Thank you," she said with a reflexive smile —one that immediately turned to bashfulness as her eyes turned away. "Nella put it together."</p><p>Nella, or <em>Adrinella</em>, was a female cousin of Jareth's. She was also on the planning committee, and had subsequently taken a vested interest in all things Sarah. Sarah was thus made both muse and canvas, subjected to whatever vision of fashion or fancy that very high maintenance fae lady felt like dolling her up with. —That said, it wasn't something that bothered Sarah. No, she actually enjoyed it. It made her feel she was making friends, like she actually belonged there in that crazy, fantastical place.</p><p>There were a few sets of bunny gropers loitering about the courtyard, sharing the proof of their victories with one another. They each bowed with a polite "<em>Your Majesty, My Lady</em>," as they passed.</p><p>"I like you on an altar," Jareth said, once again pulling Sarah from distraction —hormones and lack of quality sleep were making her a little absent minded these days. She looked over and caught his eye.</p><p>"Oh?"</p><p>Jareth nodded.</p><p>"Mhm. I was surprised to come around that corner and see you there —veiled in white, looking so very statuesque and intimidating as you slowly stroked your heavy footed harem."</p><p>Sarah laughed. Jareth had a knack for innuendo —and alliteration.</p><p>"Intimidating?" she repeated with a raised brow. "Your Majesty, you flatter me."</p><p>She glanced away with a smile, playing him off in that flirty way of hers. The way the corner of her mouth creased her cheek was a sight one was not allowed to look away from. She commanded admiration —took the attention of all those around her by unsuspecting force.</p><p>Gods, she practically glowed in the sunlight. Her skin, paled by the winter months, shone like alabaster —nary a blemish to be found. It made her lips look all the more pink and her hair all the more black. And when she looked at him, <em>every time</em> she looked at him, those bright irises enchanted him utterly —pulled him beyond the depths of the green-gray meadows and forests splintered there.</p><p>It astounded him how quickly his life had changed. How one, slight look —under the guise of flashing, pink neon— could spell out, so beautifully, the end of his days.</p><p>"Did you enjoy yourself?" Jareth asked. Sarah, smiling and waving at some friendly fae, turned the look over at him and squeezed his arm as they entered the castle.</p><p>"I did. It was kind of funny, watching them all come out of the bushes like they were staggering away from battle," she said with a laugh, then tilted her head at him. "Are you sure it's okay to leave today? —with it being the first day of the festival, I mean. You don't have to be here?"</p><p>They'd already had this conversation, but brewing nerves compelled her to ask again. The impromptu, last minute change in national happenings had sent the castle residents into a whirlwind, every able bodied busy body well at work finding ways of stretching a quaint, three day fete into a bonafide, three week festival. Needless to say, Jareth, at the helm of all this, was very busy. She almost didn't bother bringing up her own plans, or her ambivalent desire to have him be a part of them. Still, it was something that needed to happen at some point and, given the circumstances, better now than later.</p><p>Her parents were, what the colloquials called, <em>Casual </em>or <em>Convenient Catholics</em> —those who only practiced (what they considered to be) the two most important masses of the year, Christmas and Easter. After mass, it was tradition for her <em>entire</em> extended family to attend a luncheon/tea party/picnic/bbq/egg hunt at the centrally located <em>Chateau Williams</em>.</p><p>Given the difference in scale between her rinky dink family reunion and the fae's Beltane bonanza, she was actually surprised when Jareth had immediately agreed to go with her.</p><p>She almost back-tracked. Almost spit out a panicked <em>Oops! Nevermind!</em> and ran clear away. She could not imagine Jareth mingling amidst her cousins and aunts with their upturned noses sniffing for blood, nor palling about with her uncles and their unbalanced six packs with their icy blue mountains.</p><p>What she couldn't imagine even more was the moment she finally introduced him to her parents. And that moment...was fiercely approaching.</p><p>"I have twenty more days of festivity to be here for. We may drink and feast on any one of them," Jareth said, pulling her train of thought back onto its rails. Sarah huffed and quirked a brow.</p><p>"Well, you certainly can."</p><p>Her tone was spiteful and not without reason. She'd never realized how intimate a relationship she'd had with Wine Night until it'd been barred from her. —Not that she had any type of dependence on it, but still. She was missing out on all the fun.</p><p>Jareth, regarding the pout on her lips, flickered his gaze downward to the hand she'd unknowingly placed atop her stomach.</p><p>"Would you like to rest for a while before leaving?" he asked. Sarah shook her head.</p><p>"No. No, I've been sitting this whole time, so I'm actually kind of restless. I want to stretch my legs," she said. Feeling a prickling and sudden awareness in the air, she turned sharply and locked straight into Jareth's poignantly suggestive eye. "Not like that," she asserted and, despite his throaty chuckle, went on her way.</p><hr/><p>Sarah stepped through the mirror and entered her apartment. It was quiet. Shrouded. She clicked on the lights and walked over to pull back the living room curtains.</p><p>A quick glance to the clock on the wall showed it was quarter past eleven. They were scheduled to be at her parents at twelve-thirty so, thanks to the wonder of magical, transdimensional teleportation, they had plenty of time.</p><p>She'd changed out of her <em>Easter frock</em> and into a robe. Such an ostentatious (and rather lewd, if she was being honest) outfit was definitely not suitable for the flannel/floral/khaki vibes that were sure to await her at the Fourteenth(!) Annual Williams Easter Bash.</p><p>She walked into her bedroom and pulled out a pair of dresses. She'd picked these up a couple of weeks ago, but hadn't been able to decide. At the rate her gut was expanding, she wouldn't be surprised if they were now too small anyway, but...such as it was.</p><p>She frowned as she stared down at her bed, rubbing circles over her stomach and trying to catch the fluttering kicks that would jut into her palm. <em>Maybe I should ask Jareth's opinion..</em>.she thought.</p><p>And then reality dawned on her, again. Jareth, The King of Goblins, her baby daddy and presumably boyfriend, was coming home to meet her parents. To meet...<em>everyone</em>.</p><p>She cringed on that last word.</p><p>This was weird. This was going to be weird.</p><p>She shook her head and stormed out of the room, half cursing herself and that damn phone call she'd made the mistake of answering two weeks ago.</p><p>
  <em>Two weeks ago…</em>
</p><p>She'd just gotten back from an appointment. Before setting one foot in the Underground, she'd made it clear to Jareth that she would be seen by an <em>Aboveground</em> obstetrician —to which he had no objections. She'd since learned another one of her certain powers, that being the ability to freely travel between worlds —as Jareth had said. Like her friends, she was able to use mirrors. Her oval standing mirror was a perfect gateway.</p><p>By this means, she was able to make all her regular appointments and keep up with a seemingly normal daily life with a foot in both worlds. Of course, there was no cell service in the Underground, so she had to pop in pretty frequently to check her messages. A few frustrated friends and family had asked why she was suddenly so hard to get a hold of, to which the vague and perfectly applicable excuse of "I've been busy with work" was employed.</p><p>Work, however, was a fallacy. Initially, she'd put in for a leave of absence, but after only a couple weeks in the Underground did she realize she was never going back to a nine-five if she didn't have to. Those people treated her like a freaking princess —and she was definitely <em>not</em> above living in the lap of such luxury. In the beginning, she really had no idea what to expect, and had been bracing for all sorts of Hollywood dramatics and gossip and bitterness. But, once again, as Jareth had said, they were nothing less than <em>excited</em>.</p><p>They were kind, generous, and pleasant. If ever a foul word was said about her, it was kept far away from Sarah. They welcomed her openly, like her brooding womb was an oasis in that vast and lonely desert.</p><p>But, for as much of a relief as all of that was, it also made things….confusing.</p><p>She had no idea were she and Jareth actually stood. What label was to be applied to their relationship. His courtiers called her My Lady and bowed in her presence. They catered and pampered and played her friend. A few of them, she thought, might actually mean it. She was given trinkets and bobbles and fine wares galore, and dresses and furs and shoes and god awful hats with stupid dyed feathers. She was invited to tea parties and carousals, early morning hunts upland and late night, drunk jamborees. She was offered everything readily and they expected nothing. No explanation. No justification. Nothing.</p><p>And Jareth was the same. He was like Santa and Darcy and Don Juan all in one. He did everything he'd promised: took care of her, helped her subdue the magical fits when they were at their worst (they started to fade after twenty weeks and by now had, seemingly and thankfully, gone away completely), ensured her <em>happiness</em> in every possible way. It was too good to be true, and every day a part of her waited for the punchline. Everyday she waited for the disillusionment that she'd lost her soul, or was being fattened for the next Yule feast, or something else equally wild and nefarious.</p><p>But no such things happened. And every day, every day that passed in that quasi phantasm, with them and with him, made her happier and happier.</p><p>He was a kind person. Devilish and perverse, no doubt, but kind. And he was funny. She thought she'd laughed more over those last few months than she had in the last few years. He did not hold back from her, and she liked to think she now knew him quite well.</p><p>He asked her questions. Got to know her in return. He smiled when they talked and kissed her in between sentences like it was natural. Because it <em>was</em> natural. It'd been a long time...since she'd been in a relationship like that.</p><p>Which was why she needed to rip off the band-aid. Official status aside, they were <em>together</em> and she could no longer hide the state of her being. Fate had read her mind, it seemed, for Karen had called the moment she entered her apartment.</p><p>It was still two weeks ago. She was still looking at the sonogram when she answered the phone.</p><p>"Hello?"</p><p>"Sarah? Is this you? It's not your machine, is it?"</p><p>Sarah stared at the wall where the hole used to be.</p><p>"Uh...yeah?"</p><p>"Thank God. It's Karen—"</p><p>And now she closed her eyes.</p><p>"Yeah. I know. Caller ID, remember?"</p><p>There was a pause, a frustrated huff was restrained on Karen's end.</p><p>"Yes, yes, I remember," she said. Sarah restrained a huff of her own. "Listen, I'm glad I got ahold of you —<em>finally</em>. I wanted to ask if you're coming down for Easter this year."</p><p>Sarah blanched. Fuck. Was it April already? She felt a tiny pool of dread welling as she glanced down to the button nose and tightened fists rendered for her in greyscale.</p><p>"...Easter?" she repeated, then started to pace. "When uh...is that again?"</p><p>"In two weeks."</p><p>Sarah stopped. Shiiiittttt.</p><p>"Um...hold on. Let me check my calendar." And she scuttled into the kitchen.</p><p>She'd completely forgotten about Easter. Completely forgotten about the mandatory gathering of the many Williams and Sheys, all of whom would be just <em>dying</em> to know exactly what was going on with her abdominal cavity.</p><p>She hadn't told anyone yet. Six months in, and neither friend nor foe had a clue (excluding Rachel who, in perfect stride, was damn right proud of this particular origin story). She hadn't seen any family since Christmas, so it was easy to avoid. Maybe she'd been irresponsible, but it was just soooo much better keeping it to herself. Stupidly, the last thing on her mind was telling her parents, explaining how it happened and <em>yes, the father is in the picture. No, we are not getting hitched</em>.</p><p>At least, she didn't think. They hadn't had that conversation yet…</p><p>Panic set in as she realized her procrastination had backed her into a corner. She could make up an excuse not to go to the bbq, but what would she say three months from now when the kid was born? She hadn't intended on hiding it forever and yet….oh, the temptation posed by that unsuspecting mirror.</p><p>But no. No. She needed to woman up. She was going to be twenty-eight pretty soon. Hardly a bonnie lass making poor life decisions. Her parents would be fine. Her father...would be fine.</p><p>"Yeah. Yeah, that should be fine," Sarah said, continuing her train of thought and inadvertently also replying to Karen's question. She had a hand pressed to her temple now.</p><p>"Oh good. I know you said you've been busy at work, so I was worried you wouldn't be able to make it. Your cousin Mable is bringing her baby —fat little thing," Karen prattled. Sarah actually snorted.</p><p>"Cool," was all she could say, grinning and shaking her head in spite of herself.</p><p>"Do you think you can come up Saturday? It'd be nice to see you at church in the morning," Karen asked. Sarah rolled her eyes. Oh, how the priest must weep.</p><p>"Yeah...probably not," she answered, then turned around to slump against the wall. "I have some things to wrap up, so I'll just drive up Sunday morning. What time is the picnic?"</p><p>"Twelve-thirty."</p><p>"Gotcha."</p><p>And then the baby kicked. And then she glanced down to the series of sonogram snaps she'd, five minutes previously, been so excited to show Jareth. That's right. That wasn't the only thing she had to tell them about...</p><p>"Actually...Karen…"</p><p>"Uh-oh," Karen cut her off. Sarah pouted. "I know that tone. What is it? What's happened?"</p><p>She'd gone on the offensive in the span of a blink. Sarah, knowing full well the inquisition that was coming, actually flinched away from the wall and paced briskly around her kitchen.</p><p>"Geez. Nothing! Nothing's happened!" was her knee jerk response. And then she stopped. She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth with a sigh. "But...no. That's a lie. I do have something to tell you."</p><p>Silence. Heavy. Expectant. Silence.</p><p>"I'm uh...I was thinking, actually...of maybe...bringing someone with me this year," Sarah said through a wince. "—If that's alright."</p><p>Another silence. Sarah darted her eyes from left to right as she waited.</p><p>"Someone? You mean Rachel?" Karen asked. "Why? Did she get kicked out of another apartment?"</p><p>Sarah huffed and pinched the bridge of her nose.</p><p>"No. No, not Rachel —and, <em>no</em>, she did not get kicked out again. That only happened once."</p><p>Poor girl. Forget to shut the tub faucet off one time and suddenly the whole world was against you.</p><p>"Well then…" Karen mumbled, the gears in her mind clearly operating at full capacity. And then it clicked. "Wait a minute—" Sarah braced. "Sarah Williams, are you bringing home A BOY?!"</p><p>Sarah grimaced and sat down on the floor, drawing up her legs and huddling against the door of the fridge.</p><p>"...yes?"</p><p>"Oh my gosh!" Karen squealed. Sarah moved the phone away from her ear. "—Oh God. Tell me everything. I need to know everything about him. What is his name? How long have you been dating? Is it serious? Do we know him? What does he do? Does he have money? Is he handsome? Oh, what am I saying, of course he is. Does he—"</p><p>"Karen!" Sarah shrieked, feeling more mortification than could ever be described. Panic was turning her stomach —or maybe that was the baby. Regardless, the precipice of the conversation she was about to have made her want to barf. "Karen just—just chill out for a minute. Please."</p><p>Sensing distress, Karen quieted down.</p><p>"Oh, I'm sorry, darling," she said, perfectly calm. "I'm just so surprised. You haven't brought a boy home in years."</p><p>"Yeah. I remember," Sarah quickly replied. Oh geez. She was regretting this already. Where the fuck to even begin... "Listen, I'm glad I'm talking to you, actually. I think...it's definitely time you and Dad meet him, but...there's some things...Dad isn't going to like. I was hoping maybe you could...be a buffer for me."</p><p>Saying that was a struggle. Her nerves prickled as another broody silence stretched.</p><p>"...is he a musician?"</p><p>"God. Karen—" Sarah snapped, readjusting her legs and wondering why she was sitting on this hard linoleum floor instead of the couch a few paces away. "I'm being serious. And, <em>no,</em> he's not a musician." And then she rolled her eyes. <em>Professionally, anyway…</em></p><p>"He's um...well, he's a little older for starters," she continued. There was a crackle in the connection, Karen readjusting the phone in a, probably, very conspicuous attempt at discretion.</p><p>"Older? How much older?" she asked. Sarah blanched. Shit. Would Karen laugh if she said a few centuries?</p><p>"Um...twelve years?" she ended up saying. To her, Jareth looked to be about forty, so...yeah.</p><p>Silence.</p><p>"Well...that's not that bad," Karen finally replied —much to Sarah's surprise. She actually pulled the phone away and glared at it. "So long as he's not closer in age to your father as he is to you, I think it'll be okay," Karen went on. Sarah huffed. Oh, the things she could say... "How long have you known him?"</p><p>"Um...for a few years now, actually," Sarah replied, then straightened her back against the fridge and stretched out her legs. "But...we didn't start dating until recently."</p><p>"How recently?"</p><p>Sarah pondered.</p><p>"A...round Christmas?"</p><p>"And you're already bringing him to meet your father?" Karen asked. Sarah could sense her brow reaching new heights. "My, it must be very serious."</p><p>"Yeah...you could say that."</p><p>"Well, what's his name?"</p><p>"Um, Jareth."</p><p>"What?"</p><p>Sarah inhaled sharply through her nose.</p><p>"He's foreign," she stated, and shifted about anxiously. "Um...British, actually." And she face-palmed. What the fuck? She was just straight up lying now. Oh God. She was about to dig herself into a hole, wasn't she?</p><p>"W...you mean, from England?" Karen asked.</p><p>"Is that not what I said?"</p><p>"Well, does he have an accent?"</p><p>There was palpable excitement in those words. It sizzled through the phone line as a bit of static on the T.</p><p>"Yes?" was Sarah's uncertain reply. Then her hand gripped the phone tighter. She could hear nothing but somehow <em>felt</em> the swooning of her step mother. "Karen?"</p><p>"What does he do for a living?" Karen suddenly asked. Oh yeah, she'd been triggered.</p><p>"He's um...he works for the government."</p><p>"Oh? For theirs or ours?"</p><p>"Um, theirs?"</p><p>"Ooh, doing what?"</p><p>"It's...it's kind of confidential. I can't say."</p><p>Oh Lord. Oh lordy lord lord...</p><p>"Mmmm mysterious," Karen murmured with Sherlockian intrigue. Sarah got a vision of her pressing a knuckle to her lower lip. "—You're right, though. Your father definitely won't like him," she added on. Sarah had to laugh.</p><p>When the moment died and the tension returned, Sarah dragged a hand down her face as she stared at the pictures now littering the floor.</p><p>"There's one more thing," she said, giving in to hold her stomach for comfort. "Actually...the only thing, really. You should probably brace yourself."</p><p>"Because that's not worrying," was Karen's curt reply. "What, are you about to tell me he's in the mob or something? Ooh, better yet, MI5? Is he like James Bond?!"</p><p>Sarah stared outward at the legs of her kitchen table, deadpan and silent.</p><p>"...let me know when you're ready," she said after a moment. Karen hummed herself into submission.</p><p>"Okay okay, I'll stop," she said and then took a sharp breath. "Tell me."</p><p>"I'm um….well...don't be too shocked by this, but...I'm pregnant."</p><p>Another crackle. This time, accompanied by the closing of a door.</p><p>"<em>What</em>," was Karen's hushed response.</p><p>"Yeah. I figured I ought to tell you before you see me in two weeks. I'm uh...getting kind of big."</p><p>"Big?" Karen repeated, in disbelief. "Well how far along are you?! We just saw you at Christmas and you were as thin as a pencil!"</p><p>"Yeah. I was only about eight weeks then." Sarah's frank tone was a perfect contrast to Karen's fevered one. There was a brief silence. Sarah filled the void. "I'm at six months right now—"</p><p>"Six months?" Karen cut her off. "Six months?! Sarah, what the hell?!" And she heard some things shuffling. "Why am I just hearing this now? Oh, I bet you expect me to be the one to tell your father about this, don't you? Ohhhh he is not going to be happy, young lady."</p><p>Sarah rolled her eyes.</p><p>"I'm almost thirty. Please don't call me young lady."</p><p>"I just— why haven't you said anything?" Karen asked in a huff. "Congratulations, of course. I am as excited as I am shocked. But...why didn't you tell us at Christmas? It would have been a perfect time to celebrate!"</p><p>"I don't know," Sarah said, a bit petulantly. "I've been...busy. I had some...minor medical issues, so—"</p><p>"What? Is everything alright?"</p><p>"Yes. Yes, everything is fine," Sarah quickly assured her. Medical, magical...potato, potahto, right? "I just...had a lot to deal with. My life has been all over the place the last few months."</p><p><em>All over the place</em>. Yeah, way to play it up. More like on vacation living out a fairytale fever dream. Hearing the worry and disappointment in Karen's voice had her feeling a twinge of guilt now. Flying off into the sunset without a care had been nice, but...maybe she should have told them sooner.</p><p>"So...you were eight weeks at Christmas?" Karen asked, deliberating on a different wavelength. "So who's the father then?"</p><p>Sarah furrowed her brow and blinked.</p><p>"It's Jareth." <em>Obviously</em>. Geez. What was Karen getting at, exactly?</p><p>"But I don't…"</p><p>And then Sarah realized where the miscommunication formed. Oh. Well this was awkward...</p><p>"Alright, I'm just gonna lay it on you," Sarah said, crossing ankles and bouncing an anxious foot. "I ran into Jareth at a club on Halloween. Some things happened. No, I did not use protection. I found out I was pregnant around Christmas and reached out to him." She paused in case Karen wanted to add her two cents. She didn't. "—We've been together since. He's...really stepped up, and I'd like to think it's because of more than just this pregnancy," she explained. Karen remained silent. "I really like him. I guess...I'm going to start a family with him. So...I want to have you and Daddy meet him."</p><p>Sarah braced for anything, and then she heard a sigh.</p><p>"You know I don't care about things like tradition and all that..." she said, then sighed again. "—but your father…"</p><p>"Yeah, I know," Sarah cut her off. "That's why I'm telling you first. I don't want to show up and have him try to shotgun wedding us, so please talk to him for me? Please?" Oh God, was she begging? "If it's that big a deal, I just won't come up. Or...I'll come up a different time when there won't be so many people—"</p><p>"No. No, don't start avoiding us because your father gets stuck in his ways," Karen quickly said, huffing all the while. "I will talk to him. It will be fine. We will be seeing you on Easter. I promise."</p><p>Sarah forced a smile. Karen's conviction actually made her feel a little better.</p><p>"Alright...thank you."</p><p>"Next time, you better not wait no six months to tell me this, missy." And Karen's tone suddenly turned aggressive. "Six months. Six months. How the hell am I supposed to plan your baby shower with such little time?"</p><p>Sarah laughed. There was no other reaction to have. She shook her head and stared downward, bewildered by how close she and Karen had actually become.</p><p>"I don't know. I'm sorry," Sarah said, then smiled upward at nothing. "But, if there's anyone capable of the task, it's you."</p><p>And so it was. Sarah had, very tentatively, posed the prospect to Jareth, who had all but immediately responded with an "alright." The promised two weeks had gone by. And now here she was, alone in her apartment again, on the day of days….or whatever.</p><p>She walked to the center of her living room and folded her arms. He was probably wondering what the hell was taking her so long. Oops.</p><p>"I wish Jareth, the Goblin King, was here, right now, and would accompany me to my family's barbeque this afternoon."</p><p>She'd learned the art of wishmaking in the interlude, ways of phrasing her desires so Jareth would be able to pass over without becoming either trapped or immediately sent back. It wasn't just a wish, but a contract that needed to be formed. His kind <em>needed</em> purpose in her world, excluding Samhain, or else they could not stay. Jareth had told her twas the work of some wizard long ago, determined to correct the balance between the two species —or so legend said.</p><p>Regardless, presently all was well and good. She stood patiently as she waited.</p><p>A moment later, caught between blinks, he was there. Just like that. Oh so casual.</p><p>He tilted his head as he regarded her, eyes falling low on the falling v of her neckline, before moving back up.</p><p>"You're not ready yet?" he asked. Sarah shrugged.</p><p>"I can't decide what to wear," she said, then turned around to head back to her bedroom. "I like the white one, but the Catholic in me feels it's kind of tacky for an unmarried pregnant lady to wear white to a religious function," she said, holding a dress in each arm as she re-entered the living room. "This blue one is nice too….I'm just not sure about the fit."</p><p>She paused and glanced up. Jareth was staring at her, one brow arched.</p><p>"The white," he said, matter of fact. Sarah lowered her arms.</p><p>"...you sure?"</p><p>"I prefer you in white," he stated, then cocked a canny brow. "Irony be damned."</p><p>Sarah pursed her lips, then nodded.</p><p>"Alright then," she said, and turned on a dime back into the bedroom.</p><p>She tossed the dresses back on the bed and grabbed a bag that was sitting on her dresser, reentering the living room only a few seconds later. She was thus caught unawares when she looked up at the sight that greeted her.</p><p>Well, he didn't actually greet her. He was preoccupied with the fussing of his hair as he stared into a mirror. Still, Sarah was nothing less than <em>affected</em>.</p><p>He was standing in profile, back straight, feet confidently planted. Contrary to the poet's ensemble he'd arrived in, he was now wearing a nicely pressed, navy blue button down with grey slacks, and a pair of high-end brown oxfords(?). The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to the elbow, and his collar left unbuttoned just low enough to remain casual. Of course, this paled in comparison to what really caught her attention when exiting that room —that being his now shortly cut and finely feathered hair, tousled in a style far too modern and far too dashing for her weak, overburdened libido to handle.</p><p>She just stood there for a moment. Too shocked to acknowledge the hot knot twisting in her nethers.</p><p>"Oh my God," she said, and dropped the bag as she rushed him.</p><p>He turned towards her, revealing a shiny wrist watch on his left wrist that she had no idea he even owned. He glanced down at her, his brow twisting in a manner she should have been insulted by. But that didn't matter. Go ahead and laugh. She was too caught up to care.</p><p>"What did...where did you get these clothes?" she asked, picking at his sleeves and his buttons like one would a doll. Jareth grinned in amusement.</p><p>She was nothing short of awed, moving around him in a circle while openly gawking. Jareth turned with her, wondering what exactly all the fuss was about.</p><p>"What happened to your hair?" she asked and impulsively reached up to touch it. It was so short. It was terrifying how well it suited him. "How did you change so fast? You didn't cut it, did you?'</p><p>And now he laughed. She was like a toddler fondling a new toy. He reached up and pulled her hands away, holding them in the space between them.</p><p>"No, I did not cut it," he said with a grin. "It's a glamour."</p><p>Sarah's widened eyes widened more, filled with stars and confetti and a growing sense of excitement.</p><p>"So it's...it's not real?"</p><p>"Does it feel real?" And he let one of her hands go to resume her petting. The tips of her fingers moved lightly through his scalp, seeming to gloss over each strand.</p><p>"Wow," she said in amazement. "Magic is nuts." Pressing the advantage, she pulled her other hand free and moved them both down his front. The material of his shirt felt nice. Expensive. It was all she could do not to rip it clean off of him. "I actually...picked up some things for you for today," she said, referring to the shopping bag she'd abandoned in the doorway, and then spied the brand of his shirt embroidered on the collar. <em>Oh</em>. "But...this is much nicer."</p><p>And now she was embarrassed. She darted her eyes away as her hands fisted on his open collar.</p><p>"Are you alright?" he asked.</p><p>He was teasing her. She could hear it. She wanted to let her pride take over and snap back, but she couldn't. She was standing too close. His outfit had disarmed her. <em>Down libido! Down!</em></p><p>"Yeah I just….you caught me off guard." And she found the composure to look up at him. "I've never seen you in such modern clothes before. Or...with short hair and….no markings."</p><p>Holy Balls, she hadn't even noticed his eye markings were gone too! Fuck. He looked down right human, only...much better. A part of her was confused by her own reactions. Obviously she wasn't expecting him to show up in full goblin garb, but….oof.</p><p>"You look….very, very good. Seeing you as a human is really...throwing me for a loop. I wasn't expecting it."</p><p>"You said your parents are rather conservative. I figured the situation would benefit from a more conventional appearance," he said and then arched a brow. "Believe it or not, this isn't my first picnic."</p><p>"I know," Sarah said, pursing her lips as her fingers tightened. "I just...didn't realize you were so familiar with Aboveground fashion —considering how little time you get to spend here."</p><p>"On the contrary," Jareth replied, angling his head as he scrutinized all of her less than subtle mannerisms. "—If we are to quantify the length of time I've spent in this world over the <em>many</em> years of my life, I dare say I have more experience with this realm and its changing trends than you."</p><p>Sarah peered up from the hollow of his throat to see he was giving her an eye.</p><p>"Touché."</p><p>A pause followed that word. One second. Two… Three... They were standing motionless. Sarah was still gripping his shirt. Jareth's eyes flickered down.</p><p>"Are you going to get changed?" he finally asked.</p><p>Sarah bit her lip.</p><p>"Uh huh…"</p><p>Oh. The <em>mist</em>. The telltale shade on her eye that he'd come to crumble under. He watched it build in real time as she stared at him. His posture shifted in reaction, making him taller, more imposing. His own gaze lowered to her mouth as his head inclined.</p><p>"Well?" he spoke in a near whisper. Sarah leaned up on her toes, holding onto his shirt for balance. Her eyes were slow to close, hovering open as slivers as their lips just barely touched.</p><p>"In...a minute."</p><p>She kissed him and, despite her impulses, she did so slowly.</p><p>Jareth closed his eyes and brought his hands to lightly hold her arms above the elbow. There was a sensuality to the movement of her tongue, a carefulness about her lips. It would be quick to seduce him if he let it.</p><p>She broke from the kiss and looked down as she undid the first two buttons on his shirt. He stared vacantly at her fanning lashes as she did so. It was dead quiet in the apartment. With each passing second, Jareth felt his jaw tightening.</p><p>"Take away one more of my buttons, and you'll be late," he warned. She was at his navel now. <em>One more button </em>and the halves would be freed. She paused only in reaction to his voice, then turned her head up as that final button came loose.</p><p>"No such thing, remember?" she whispered into his lips, teasing him with their proximity, and pulled the ends of his shirt from his pants.</p><p>This was bad. Well, no, not <em>bad</em>, but potentially inconvenient. Sarah's sexual appetite had increased considerably in recent weeks. Now it was near ravenous. Heaven forbid a sly grin, an artfully cast shadow, a casual stance caught at the perfect angle, or, you know, a dramatic new haircut.</p><p>A lesser man may not have been able to satiate such cravings. Or at least, that's what Jareth had said.</p><p>His hand, with fingers splayed, pressed to her lower back, bringing her to him so their bodies touched. His mouth opened wider as his other hand moved up into her hair, holding her in place as he kissed her more passionately in return.</p><p>Sarah's hands, so eager and greedy, felt up his bare torso and all its undulations of muscle. The round of her stomach made it impossible to flatten herself against him like she used to. Even being this close, sometimes it just felt too far away.</p><p>He made a soft noise in the back of his throat as they kissed, as it deepened and slowed. The sound of his belt clinking distracted him from it —she was well at work removing it from him.</p><p>A bold hand grasped his erection through his slacks, squeezing and working it down his thigh. His hips instinctively rocked into her hand, the murmur he fed into her mouth a heated one.</p><p>He throbbed. Lengthened. She felt it acutely in her strong grip. She stroked him a little harder and then—</p><p>Fuck all this build up.</p><p>She grabbed him by the shoulders with both hands and pushed him down. He obeyed —as if he would ever not— and let her guide him towards the floor. Once there, she quickly straddled his lap and bent forward, her back awkwardly bowed as she avidly kissed him.</p><p>Hands on his chest, then grasping his face, then clawing into his finely sculpted hair as she consumed him with that kiss.</p><p>He leaned up on an elbow (making it easier for her) and held her by the nape of the neck as he returned the gesture. The robe she wore —and nothing more— began to spread apart and fall down her shoulders. He leaned up further and helped it along, placing a wide hand on her bare back and pushing the silk down.</p><p>His mouth found her neck. Bit it, nipped, and gnawed. Moved down to her clavicle and then the hollow of her throat. She arched her head back, swallowing hard as she fought back a rise of heat in her chest.</p><p>Kisses moved south and found her cleavage. His hand left her back and pushed up one breast. They'd gotten slightly larger over the last few months. She was a tad self conscious about it —not that he'd <em>ever</em> complained.</p><p>She slumped a shoulder so the robe fell completely, exposing her breast and it's taut, pink nipple. His tongue curled and flicked around it before drawing it in, sucking in that very precise way that always—</p><p>She gasped. Made a little moan. —Right on cue. He did it again, and again, teasing her and taking full advantage of the way her pleasure points had become <em>even more</em> sensitive.</p><p>It really wasn't fair, she might say. Then again, neither was the power those breathy moans had over him.</p><p>He pulled the robe away from her other shoulder so she could remove her arms, then fondled the other breast. She clutched him by the shoulder and the back of his head, moving in a rocking motion as he held her pressed close.</p><p>She pushed him back. Forced him down until his shoulder blades touched the floor. She was getting impatient. —They also had a schedule to keep.</p><p>She pulled his belt loose from its straps and undid the fly of his pants. Throughout, she could feel his erection, rock hard, pressing against the base of her thigh.</p><p>It was sad how severely that alone turned her on these days.</p><p>He lifted his hips when she yanked down his slacks, then freed his cock and gripped it firmly at the base. If she wasn't so greedy, she'd have taken her time and played. Her mouth watered with the desire to take him in her mouth and make him moan for her. But, as it was—</p><p>No. Fuck it.</p><p>She maneuvered down his legs and bent forward, paying him no consideration whatsoever as she dropped open her jaw and sucked him deep into her mouth.</p><p>His head arched back, that little jolt and groan of surprise being everything she'd wanted. She pulled back, lapped the head, jerked him with her fist, then sucked all over again.</p><p>Jareth closed his eyes, trying futilely not to, but she was persistent. He let her go on like that, to his own detriment, as he gradually lost the battle of whether or not to give in. She was dangerous when passion hit her —even more so, now, because he was obliged to show restraint.</p><p>Oh, how he would have loved to rip her off of him and fuck her into the floorboards.</p><p>While he was distracted, Sarah felt the sway of impulse again. She pulled her mouth away and moved back up, holding him at her entrance as she leaned down and kissed him messily.</p><p>His hands were on her shoulders. In her hair. His hips pulsed up as she lowered. The sound of her breath in his mouth swarmed him —the frequency rising in pitch as he spread and filled her. Her knees widened. She was gasping now. A euphoric kind of heat bloomed around his cock. She was so fucking wet. Gods. It was all he could do not to thrust brutally up.</p><p>She held him by the sides of the face, keeping their foreheads pressed together between kisses, as she gently rode him. For as savagely as they'd rather tear at each other, she'd recently reached the point in her pregnancy where they needed to <em>be careful</em> about such things. If ever she made a sound of discomfort or pain, he immediately snapped out of any lustful torrent no matter the intensity. Of course, such careful petting had only left tensions higher for the both of them. He couldn't quite push to the hilt like he did before, and neither could he toss and bend her around in all those fun, awkward, titillating positions.</p><p>Contrarily, this more mellow form of fucking may have actually been even more satisfying. Slowing down made the build up more intense, more intimate. He wondered if she knew how much he adored her in such moments.</p><p>His hands moved to her hips and then forward to find the knot in her belt. Reflexively, her hand shot down and stopped him. He turned his hand in order to hold hers instead.</p><p>"Take it off," he said, brushing his nose against hers. There was a tension about her brow now, and a pout that was not the result of the kiss. She hesitated to comply.</p><p>Jareth had noticed, over the last few weeks especially, that she'd become weirdly insecure about her changing body. He didn't understand why. She was beautiful, only becoming more so, in his eyes. Watching her grow, seeing her body bare and round with <em>his</em> child gave him a feeling of pride, of admiration, of <em>yearning</em> that was soon to hit a dangerous threshold. And he was more than happy to tell her these things. More than happy to gaze upon and worship her with all her aches and fusses and expanding waistline.</p><p>"I like looking at you," he whispered while placing a kiss on her ear. The ambivalence in her relaxed, he could sense it, so he let go of her hand and went back to untying the knot. It fell away readily, as did her silk robe. He leaned away from her and gandered at her shamelessly. Sarah became very stiff for a moment, a blush blooming across her cheeks and nose. "Well?" he said, raking a wolfish gaze all over her. "Don't stop."</p><p>Sarah swallowed, her fever of arousal nearly broken. She didn't like being exposed like this. Didn't like the way she must look from this angle. Blankets and dresses and shadows had become her friends.</p><p>To her, it was only logical that she'd become less attractive. She'd put on more weight than she cared to admit, and of course now had a silhouette fit for a Looney Tune skit. Being surrounded by all those pretty beanpoles in Jareth's court had put a definite crack in her self confidence. —not that there had been any external factors to support it.</p><p>Because, for all her squirming, Jareth did not merely like, but <em>loved</em> to look at her. He was <em>eager</em> to touch her —and he'd acknowledged no one else since they'd been together. His singularity was comforting and surprising and still...hard to believe.</p><p>She felt his hands snaking up her thighs, one halting on her hip while the other pressed circles around her clit.</p><p>She flinched on a moan, yanked back into the moment. She looked down at him, watching with hungry eyes as he hungrily watched her back. She started moving again, lifting and lowering her hips at a pace and to a degree that was on the cusp of being too much. She felt his hand on her hip constricting, felt him getting harder. Her breath quickened, and she looked up at the ceiling as she closed her eyes.</p><p>Fuck, this was agonizing. All she wanted was to slam herself down. But, after the last time such abandon took over, she knew it was better to persevere. <em>Doctor's orders</em> and all that. She clawed her hands into her own hair and held it tightly, focusing on the feeling as her pace quickened and Jareth moaned.</p><p>The heightened tone of her voice pushed him to his limits, the sight of her riding his cock with such vigor testing his restraint. He gripped her hips with both hands now, rocking her more sharply and daring to thrust back just a touch.</p><p>He cast his head back and groaned through a clenched jaw. He was going to come like this. His fingers dug into the flesh of her ass.</p><p>"J-Jareth—" he heard her say so fucking beautifully. He looked back to find a most provocative grimace on her face: a tightly furrowed brow and hot opened mouth. He heard her shriek. Felt her rhythm falter. On impulse, he sat upright and embraced her, clutching her by the back of the neck and fiercely biting down on her lower lip as he came alongside her.</p><p>Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, clinging to the smooth material of his shirt and pulling at it. They settled down on labored breaths, still locked in a painful kiss as their hands gradually relaxed on one another. Sarah was huffing and puffing, looking about ready to pass out as she quickly smiled.</p><p>"I like this look on you," she said, and ran her fingers through his hair. Jareth grinned when he found there was still a trace of awe about her. "A lot," she added on, then thumped their foreheads together.</p><p>A few seconds passed. They were still catching their breath.</p><p>"I'm...going to get dressed now," she said, with palpable uncertainty. Jareth held back a laugh.</p><p>"Are you sure?" he asked. Sarah nodded as she let go and pulled away.</p><p>"Yeah. Yeah. I'm good now."</p><p>Jareth cocked a brow. His hands were now resting on her hips, his cock still half hard inside of her. She was looking away from him, looking positively bewildered by her disheveled state and the <em>whatever</em> that had just come over her. She would probably blame it on hormones if he teased her. —but he knew better.</p><p>"Glad I could be of service," he said, and helped keep her steady as they stood to their feet.</p><hr/><p>Sarah winced as she stared up at the house.</p><p>She was standing on the sidewalk, and from that angle the old Victorian looked downright fiendish. Its vinyl siding had been freshly power-washed for its spring debut, and, while the gardens were still bare and the rose bushes yet to bloom, all were neatly cleaned and preened in preparation.</p><p>Colorful pinwheels littered the front lawn, half spinning, half stuck, all metallic and glittering. Some wind chimes played loudly in the breeze, its bobbles getting tangled in the many pastel streamers that had decorated the face of the front porch, but where now drooping and coming loose under the less than gentle insistence of that same breeze.</p><p>There were ceramic fixtures of bunnies, squirrels, and foxes lining the flagstone path leading to the door. They stared up at the two of them with wide, dead eyes. The laughter of children could be heard from the backyard, the spraying of a sprinkler, and the hollering of half drunk men.</p><p>Vague silhouettes moved in and out of view beyond the shrouds of the first story windows. She recognized a few of them. <em>Cousins</em>. Why did that word make her cringe?</p><p>She held onto Jareth's arm tighter as her toes curled in her flats. The street was littered with cars from one end to the other. They, of course, did not use a car. She wondered, amidst all her other worries, if anyone would notice.</p><p>Jareth glanced down in reaction to her quiet fidgeting and flexed his arm.</p><p>"Still want to do this?" he asked when she peered up at him. She nodded, biting her lip all the while.</p><p>"Yeah. I'm just…nervous. I haven't told anyone except Karen."</p><p>"Your father and brother know as well, yes?"</p><p>"Yeah, but Karen was the one who talked to my dad," she said and glanced away. "It...took him a couple days to process. And when he called me...it was kind of curt."</p><p>She loved her dad, really, she did. And he was kind —most of the time. But, there were just some things that couldn't be helped —and those things usually pertained to his only and precious baby girl. He was a little old fashioned —if his preference for rotary phones was any indication. So, honestly, she had expected a far worse reaction to this startling new development. He had congratulated her. Asked her how she was. Confirmed that she was in fact bringing Jareth with her. Confirmed that he was foreign (why her parents cared so much about that, she would never know). And...that was it.</p><p>She hoped actually seeing her would loosen him up. But, then again, she would have Jareth by her side…</p><p>She glanced up at him discreetly, internally thanking him for taking preemptive measures with his appearance.</p><p>"Well...let's get to it," she said and took a step forward.</p><p>The heavy front door opened in silence, whatever sound it made being overpowered by the delightful chatter of the occupants beyond. There was a littering of people in the foyer dressed in pale, colorful tones, flared skirts with clicking heels, <em>khaki</em> pants with neutral plaid button downs. There were finger foods on the bar tables on either side of the room, those being the focal points of congregation.</p><p>No one noticed them right away. She was glad for that—</p><p>"Oh my God. Sarah?!"</p><p>Shit. Two seconds. They'd made it two seconds.</p><p>Subduing a cringe, Sarah slapped on a big ol' smile and turned towards cousin Jennelle.</p><p>"Hey, Jen," she said with some strain. Jennelle, without taking her eyes off of Sarah's stomach, took several quick steps towards her with a gape.</p><p>"What the ef? You're pregnant?! When did that happen?!" she asked, announcing it to the entire house. Sarah laughed nervously and tried not to fist her hands.</p><p>"Ah….a few months ago. I haven't been promoting it too much," she said, stepping out of the way so Jareth could finish closing the door. The action caught Jennelle's attention, which now fixated, intensely, on Jareth.</p><p>"Oh…" she said, though whether or not that was in response to Sarah, or an absentminded exclamation, was anyone's guess. "Annnnddd…..this is?" And she turned her eyes back to Sarah imperatively. Sarah's twitchy smile twitched again.</p><p>"Oh. Um. This is my boyfriend(?) —Jareth."</p><p>Oh no. A label. And a really fucking awkward and suddenly adolescent one at that. She felt the burn of panic as she smiled and gestured at the man in question.</p><p>Jennelle, blatantly comparing the two, arched a brow as her eyes finally settled on Jareth.</p><p>"Jareth? That's an interesting name—" she said and offered out her hand. Jareth accepted and shook. "—but I'm sure you hear that a lot. I'm Jen, Sarah's cousin."</p><p>Jareth's hint of a smirk was tactful but all too transparent for Sarah. He was laughing at her. Oh geez.</p><p>"A pleasure," he said, revealing an accent Jennelle was clearly not expecting to hear. Her brow shot up as their hands parted.</p><p>Before Sarah could internally combust, she broke the moment with a deflection.</p><p>"So, we just got here. Have you seen Karen and my dad?"</p><p>Jennelle blinked out of her stupid gape and looked over at Sarah.</p><p>"Yeah. Your dad is out back grilling. Last I saw your mom, she was putting platters together in the kitchen."</p><p>Sarah, though smiling perfectly, felt her teeth grinding. Despite the current state of her and Karen's relationship, she still found it grating when people mistook her for her actual mother. —and Jennelle damn well knew that.</p><p>"Okay. Thanks," she said and, with her arm possessively locked with Jareth's, led him away from Jennelle and towards the back of the house.</p><p>She said a few hi's and hello's along the way, but avoided making any real eye contact at all costs. Mingling was all well and good, but the thump in her heart would not settle until she got this <em>introduction</em> business out of the way.</p><p>She brought Jareth to the kitchen. It was quieter there, devoid of people —aside from the much sought after Karen.</p><p>She was standing behind the counter, neatly folding and arranging sliced cold cuts and cheese on a slew of acrylic platters.</p><p>Sarah stood awkwardly in the doorway, squeezing Jareth's hand tightly before letting it go altogether and pressing onward without him.</p><p>"Hey," she said.</p><p>Karen looked up sharply.</p><p>"Sarah? Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness, just look at you," she said, near teary eyed as she dropped everything and dashed around the counter towards her. Sarah braced just in the nick of time, standing rigidly as Karen and her greasy fingers hugged her tightly. "You look so pretty! My goodness, you're glowing!" And she pulled away excitedly. "I can't believe it. I feel like it was just Christmas. You're right, you are getting big!"</p><p>Oh, she was ecstatic. Practically bouncing as she stared all around Sarah's person and back again. Sarah's smile was so strained she feared it may get stuck like that.</p><p>"Yeah, yeah….I told you," she said. Karen, gripping her by the biceps, held her at arm's length as she shook her head.</p><p>"This is far too becoming on you," she said affectionately. "God. I wish I looked half as good when I was pregnant."</p><p>Sarah huffed then glanced away bashfully.</p><p>The turn of her head revealed the figure standing behind her, casually leaning back against the frame of the doorway. And now Karen's fervor renewed. Now it was tenfold.</p><p>"And this must be our Sarah's mysterious beau," she said, basically turning Sarah out of the way as she set her sights on Jareth. "Jareth Davidson, yes? I'm Karen Williams, Sarah's stepmother."</p><p>Jareth, taking the time to spare Sarah one <em>very</em> arched brow at her impromptu and previously unmentioned choice of surname, dipped his head as he took hold of Karen's hand in a disarming show of chivalry.</p><p>"Yes. A pleasure to finally meet you, Mrs. Williams."</p><p>Karen froze —just like Jennelle, but...maybe a tad less obvious. Her fingers curled as they pulled away from Jareth's light grasp. Clearly, her Middle American family had never experienced someone east of Hoboken.</p><p>"Oh. Please, call me Karen," she said —with an effortless return of well practiced decorum. Jareth's grin twitched again. Sarah tried not to roll her eyes.</p><p>And, whether it be to her favor or destruction, it was at that very moment that the sliding glass door opened and one unsuspecting Robert Williams entered the scene.</p><p>He wore a grease stained apron over his Sunday Best, currently wiping his hands clean with a checkered hand towel at which his attention was fixed.</p><p>"Karen, do we have any more of that sea salt?" he asked, and made the mistake of looking up.</p><p>He paused mid-step, his eyes landing directly on Sarah as she stood in bulbous profile, then looked her up and down as his countenance took on that of surprise.</p><p>Sarah swallowed her nerves and turned towards him.</p><p>"Hi, Dad," she said, sounding like the meek teenager she'd been mentally reduced to. Robert, finishing the cleaning of his hands at a much slower pace, took a step towards them and then set the rag down on the counter.</p><p>"I didn't know you were here," he said. Sarah shrugged.</p><p>"We just got in a few minutes ago."</p><p>He nodded as he stared, clearly at her figure, but whatever judgement he was making was indiscernible to her. She was pouting as she waited for his verdict, looking all kinds of nervous and vulnerable. After a second, he scowled and removed the apron to join the rag.</p><p>"Don't want to get your white dress all dirty," he said, then made a come hither gesture with his hand which was nullified by the extra step he simultaneously took towards her. "Come here," he then added, and pulled her into a hug. Sarah stood like a plank. That...was not what she'd expected. "It's good to see you again. You look lovely. ...Congratulations."</p><p>He squeezed her for emphasis, creating a moment Karen was silently, and literally, clapping over. Jareth gave her and her jubilant twisted face a side eye.</p><p>Sarah, totally blindsided, gradually lifted her arms and returned the hug.</p><p>"Thank you…"</p><p>Wow. She'd have to treat Karen to a cruise or something for managing to pull this one off. And, from a quick glance back to the woman in question, she was well aware of this fact and in full agreement. She looked like she'd just won a beauty pageant, grinning so happily and with ostensible pride. Sarah, with wide bewildered eyes, tried to ignore it. —Saying hi to her dad was the easy part.</p><p>Robert sighed through his nose as he pulled away and looked over her again, clearly holding back a myriad of thoughts he would unleash on Karen as they readied for bed that night. Still, Sarah was happy. He even gave her a grin as he patted her on the shoulder.</p><p>"So, the drive up went smooth?" he asked, moving around the far side of the counter to search for, presumably, the salt. Karen, with her hands steepled together in gleeful anticipation, drifted towards him.</p><p>"Yeah. It was fine," Sarah said, and stepped forward to lean against the counter.</p><p>"Robert," Karen said, in that most leading way. "Sarah has brought someone for us to meet, remember? This is Jareth."</p><p>Robert paused in his rummaging and straightened. If she didn't know her father so well, she'd have thought he was ignoring or acting spiteful towards Jareth. But he wasn't. He genuinely hadn't noticed he was there.</p><p>"Right," he said, and looked up straight at Jareth. "You're the one dating my daughter?" he asked, and abruptly reached out across the counter to shake his hand. "Robert Williams. Nice to meet you."</p><p>Golly. What an attempt at cordiality. Sarah felt her jaw clenching in embarrassment as her eyes looked anywhere but at them. This was too freaking weird. The way Jareth smiled and confidently shook her drunk father's hand was way too weird.</p><p>"Likewise," Jareth said, perfunctory.</p><p>With that out of the way, Robert went back to his more important task. Sarah peered out her peripheral just as Jareth did the same. She felt so freaking on edge. He, however, looked perfectly composed.</p><p>"You have a lovely home, Mrs. Williams. I dare say Sarah's recounts do not do it justice."</p><p>Karen smiled bashfully and waved him off. Sarah wondered how he had the gall, and where she could get some of it, to initiate small talk.</p><p>"I told you, call me Karen," she said with a little giggle. Robert peered up from the drawer he was digging through. "But thank you. You flatter us, really." With the ice apparently broken, Karen pulled out a stool and sat on the edge, leaning forward with an elbow on the counter as she spoke. "I hear you're not from around here. Is the style of living you're used to any different from all this?"</p><p>God bless her. If Karen knew anything, it was how to feign class. Her entire aura changed, took on some of that long faded debutante charm. The foot at the end of her crossed legs was, without a doubt, bouncing in a flirty circle.</p><p>"Not really," Jareth said, pleasantly, seeming to pick up the same vibes Sarah was. "I've lived in many different places. After a while, a house is just a house."</p><p>"Ah, yes. Sarah mentioned you travel a lot. You work for Her Majesty's government, yes?"</p><p>Jareth paused. Only Sarah noticed it. And only because of the way, in that split second, his grin widened to light up his entire face. Sarah had given Jareth a brief rundown of all the lies she'd told, but maybe not all their details. Dear lord. She was mortified.</p><p>"Indeed," Jareth replied, finding a genuine kind of revelry in furthering this game. Sarah stared fiercely out the window.</p><p>"And what is it that you do, exactly?" Karen asked. Jareth glanced shrewdly at Sarah and her tightly pursed lips.</p><p>"I work in diplomatic relations. I'm sorry, but I'm not permitted to divulge anything more than that."</p><p>"Sounds pretty serious," Robert interjected. Sarah looked over at him. "How exactly did you meet my daughter again?"</p><p>Oh no. She'd left this part out. She panicked a little as she looked sharply at Jareth. What would he say? What would he say?!</p><p>But, because guise was a quality practically bred into his people, Jareth answered readily.</p><p>"We met at a college seminar," he said. Sarah blinked. "I was in the area, and heard a literary scholar I like was speaking. Apparently your daughter had the same affinity."</p><p>Oh. That was a good one. Her father didn't know jack squat about books. He wouldn't press this issue, lest he make himself look uneducated. She wondered if Jareth somehow knew that, but couldn't recall ever telling him.</p><p>"I see," Robert said, moving on as she'd predicted. "So you're from Europe? How long have you been in the states? Do you have a….a work visa or whatever it is?"</p><p>The level of interest her father suddenly took in Jareth worried her, but, again, Jareth only smiled.</p><p>"I've come and gone for most of my life. I have dual citizenship, actually."</p><p>Ooh. Score two.</p><p>Robert paused to give Jareth a scrutinous eye.</p><p>"So how is that going to work then?" he asked. Sarah blinked in confusion.</p><p>"What do you mean?" she countered.</p><p>"You travel for work, right? You're gone a lot?" Robert asked Jareth, folding his arms over his chest. "How often do you plan on really being there for my daughter and grandchild?"</p><p>Oh no. The tone. The aggressive, <em>no approval for you,</em> tone. It had frightened away more than one partner in Sarah's younger days. Hearing it now was equally intimidating for her and yet, to have it directed at Jareth…</p><p>A huff so miniscule not even Sarah noticed preceded the slyest of grins before Jareth replied.</p><p>"My schedule operates at my own discretion, and, actually, the majority of my work can be done from anywhere. Only in an <em>extreme</em> instance would I be forced to leave her side."</p><p>Oh, he was talking about wishers —instances when he would be compelled to the Aboveground. No such thing had happened since she joined him in the Underground, but he'd mentioned it did happen from time to time.</p><p>Robert, not quite sure whether he wanted to be relieved or displeased further, only stared with a hard look.</p><p>"In that case, what are your plans?" he asked, and this time turned the question to Sarah as well. She blanched.</p><p>"Plans?" she repeated.</p><p>"Yeah. You've only three months left before your baby is born. I'm curious about how you're planning to raise it."</p><p>Sensing a bit of tension building in her husband, Karen tried to disarm it by facilitating.</p><p>"What he means, dear, is...where are you going to live? We've been…a little worried. Are you going to stay in the city? Are you...living together already? We just hope you plan on rooting down somewhat local rather than moving back to England."</p><p>Sarah stared through Karen's forehead and out the far wall. She hadn't thought of lies to cover for any of this. Stupid. She was blanking hard. Jareth, the only one to notice her anxiety, took the initiative.</p><p>There were a row of stools hiding under the lip of the counter. Jareth pulled one out for her.</p><p>"Here, why don't you sit," he said, his focus, entirely, on her. Sarah blinked and looked over at him, not realizing how close to a meltdown she'd just been. She swallowed and accepted the gesture, sitting herself down as she tried to think of something rational to say.</p><p>Robert, watching this quiet little moment unfold, felt his antagonistic urges lull at the look of stark concern he saw on Jareth's face.</p><p>"Leaving the states is a possibility," Jareth said, frankly. Sarah's eyes shot up at him. "I have <em>roots</em> in many countries, and I would not oppose taking Sarah to any of them, should she wish it." Sarah curled her toes. That was not the right thing to say— "That said, I personally have no preference in one way or another. It's her decision."</p><p>Oh. It was? Well, this was news. She and Jareth hadn't actually talked about the explicit details that might paint their futures together. She'd been operating more on a day by day kind of mentality. She assumed she'd be staying, predominantly, in the Underground, but...but how much of this was just BS for her parent's sake?</p><p>Sarah, with a perturbed kind of scowl, roamed her eyes to the side as she pondered.</p><p>"I...don't know," she said.</p><p>Now <em>that</em> was the wrong thing to say.</p><p>"Don't know?" Robert repeated with a hint of derision. "You don't have a whole lot of time left to figure it out."</p><p>"I know," Sarah snapped —a bit of repressed teenage angst working through. When she looked up at her father, they were making the same face. "I guess...Jareth's right. Leaving the US is a possibility."</p><p>It would be better to be frank, if not honest, she determined —as <em>Europe</em> or <em>Chicago</em> or freaking <em>Timbuktu</em> were all residences easily interchangeable for the Underground. Her father's expression remained unchanged. *Sigh*</p><p>"But, regardless, that won't impact how often you see us," she added on.</p><p>"Well how do you figure that?" Karen asked, leaning up off the counter. "You'll be half a world away!"</p><p>"Yeah...but we can just travel back."</p><p>Karen blinked rapidly in disbelief.</p><p>"Oh? It's that simple? Do you have any idea how expensive a plane ticket from England is? I do. I've been looking, you know—"</p><p>"Mrs. Williams," Jareth interrupted. All eyes went to him. "What Sarah means is...well, don't think this bumptious, but commercial standards need not apply."</p><p>"Excuse me?" Karen asked.</p><p>Jareth averted his eyes, trying to think of the most tactful way to put it.</p><p>"I come from a rather...affluent background," he said, testing out the words as he said them. "Travel, its frequency or its expenses, is not a factor."</p><p>Sarah stiffened when her father snorted curtly. —And the awkwardness seethed.</p><p>"So...yeah. It doesn't matter where we live," Sarah said, trying her best to ignore what just happened. "We can come visit anytime you want."</p><p>Karen, caught somewhere between concern, disbelief, and elation at the mere mention of the word <em>affluent</em>, looked quite disconcerted as her mouth hung open.</p><p>"...well, at least there's that."</p><p>Karen spoke with a sigh, turning her head away to hide the hand she pressed to her temple. A rather heavy silence was about to fall over the room —thankfully, they were interrupted.</p><p>"Aunt Karen? You got those platters ready yet?"</p><p>The four of them looked over to greet an unsuspecting cousin Courtney (Jennelle's younger sister) crossing the threshold into the kitchen. Whatever worry Karen's expression may have been about to betray, it was slapped well away by the impromptu smile that spread across her face.</p><p>"Oh. Yes. Yes, here," Karen said in a fluster, pulling a couple trays closer to her. "Sorry, I got a bit distracted."</p><p>Courtney, in blissful ignorance, broke up the brood party by inserting herself between Karen and Jareth.</p><p>"It's alright," she said, and took hold of a platter just before glancing up and noticing Sarah's presence. "Oh. Hey Sarah. I heard you're expecting. Congratulations."</p><p>She sounded nearly genuine. Not that it mattered. What concerned Sarah was the indication that she was now a topic of conversation among the proles. Great. So they were gossiping already? *Double Sigh*</p><p>Karen, for whatever reason feeling the awkwardness more acutely than anyone, balanced a tray on each hand and promptly turned to flow after Courtney. She stopped on a dime, however, glancing back at Sarah with her <em>polite</em> smile.</p><p>"Goodness, I went a little wild with the hors d'oeuvres, didn't I? Sarah, would you mind helping us bring these out? We can make it in one trip if the three of us go."</p><p>Sarah glanced around conspicuously.</p><p>"Oh. Um...okay…?"</p><p>She stared at Jareth via nervous side eye as she stood from the chair and took up the final platter. Jareth said nothing, of course. She wondered why Karen was acting so suspiciously.</p><p>Karen grinned in that formal way of hers as she gestured for Sarah to precede her. The left quietly, leaving the two males alone.</p><p>A few seconds passed. Jareth made sure the ladies were out of earshot before speaking.</p><p>"So, have I answered all of your questions?" he asked. He glanced over casually, locking eyes with the man in a way that was a touch less courteous than before. Robert, operating on the same wavelength, actually appreciated the change in tone.</p><p>"Not really," he answered, then turned around to rummage through the fridge. Jareth stifled his grin to a twitch</p><p>"Well, ask away."</p><p>Robert closed the fridge and turned back with <em>several</em> beer bottles in hand.</p><p>"My wife told me you knocked up my daughter months <em>before</em> actually dating her," he said —a question of some kind woven therein.</p><p>"Yes?" Jareth replied, generously supplying the missing inflection. "—Accidents happen, as they say."</p><p>His tone carried faint impertinence on that last bit, his commitment to the current <em>role</em> weakened without Sarah as witness. Robert acknowledged it duly, snapping the cap off a beer loudly during the break in conversation.</p><p>"Just because she's an adult, doesn't mean it stops being my job to protect her," he said, sternly. "I promised Karen I wouldn't be so blunt in front of Sarah, so I'll say it to you instead. I don't like this situation you're in. It screams impulse and irresponsibility. This is something that is going to change her life forever. I don't want to see her hurt."</p><p>Oh. That felt like a challenge. Look how these mortals puffed up their feathers and brandished their tusks. He wondered just how pathetic this man's reaction would be should he learn just who it was he was talking down to.</p><p>"This situation?" Jareth repeated, going on the defensive. "What exactly do you disapprove of?" And he arched a dangerous brow. "Impulse —in the beginning, yes, perhaps. But irresponsibility? Would you rather I have walked away?"</p><p>"I'd rather things be done properly."</p><p>"<em>Properly</em>," Jareth repeated with a snide, condescending huff. "What a word. If it's my commitment to her you're questioning, perhaps by the order of certain events, then let me assure you, I am more than willing to make things <em>proper</em> should she wish it," he said with a snap. Robert eyed him carefully. "But, lest my intentions be misconstrued as some act of obligation, I'd prefer to wait until any and all such insecurities are well and gone from her mind. Is that not in her best interest?"</p><p>He was getting frustrated now. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had to defer to anyone, least of all for the benefit of someone else. Sarah's depiction of her father had been far too accurate. No wonder she'd been so anxious in coming here.</p><p>"My American isn't the best," Jareth went on, giving into a baser impulse. "—But I will try to use as much candor as possible: she is perfectly capable of making her own decisions, and I have no intention of guiding her any which way. To assuage your concerns, let me state that I am more committed than even she has yet realized. I would marry her here and now if she only said the word —and it has absolutely nothing to do with our <em>accident</em>."</p><p>His voice turned a little nasty as he spoke, as he held Robert's eye and, by that connection, made it abundantly clear that he was not a <em>piddling boy</em> to be snorted at.</p><p>Whether or not a pissing match was really in anyone's best interest was a question left to the heavens, for, as fate would have it, Karen chose that very second to reenter the kitchen.</p><p>"The Williams sure do like to eat, don't they?" she said, fully anticipating some manner of tension and preemptively charging straight through it arms akimbo. She stood in awkward silence at the counter as Jareth and Robert continued to glare at one another. "Everything alright in here?" she asked.</p><p>She was surprised to see Robert crack a grin. Left downright shocked when he started laughing softly to himself.</p><p>"Yes. <em>Jareth</em> here was just explaining how much he loves our daughter," he said, with a misplaced kind of amusement that unnerved Karen to her bones. That feeling peaked when he suddenly popped the cap on another bottle. "Here," he said, and offered it to Jareth. "Have a drink."</p><p>Jareth accepted without a word. Karen, meanwhile, was too shocked to enjoy the endorphins that accompanied her well internalized swoon.</p><hr/><p>Jareth walked alone down the hall leading away from the kitchen, a finger taping in time against the neck of an ice cold —and yet to be tasted— beer. It wasn't like he was above a good ale (emphasis on the <em>good</em>), but this was, without a doubt, <em>not</em>.</p><p>And yet still he carried it. T'was a trophy of sorts, he assumed. Hopefully, Sarah would calm down now.</p><p>And where exactly was she? —the little minx. Oh, feign the doe all she may, but he knew she'd very consciously left him to the slaughter. <em>Sorry, no room on my raft, </em>she might say.</p><p>But alas, he'd come out unscathed. Now, she would have to answer for her crimes…</p><p>He was imagining a myriad of delectable scenarios when he reached the entryway to the living room. He stopped and leaned against the wall, taking in this presumably modern and trendy décor. As his eyes roamed from one side of the room to the other, he found himself wondering how, while the standard of living had only increased, the collective tastes for how to best flaunt such had crashed, burned, and died.</p><p>"<em>Have you seen Sarah?</em>"</p><p>Jareth's ears flexed at the mention of his missing minx, and came back from his musing.</p><p>"<em>Oh my God, right?</em>"</p><p>"<em>Huh? What are you talking about? I haven't seen her yet. What happened?"</em></p><p>There were three of them, at least, and all females. He could hear them chattering (sitting on the sofa he'd seen when they first passed through) just around the corner.</p><p>
  <em>"Oh, you're not going to believe this. She's pregnant!"</em>
</p><p>T'was the first woman who spoke, now in an excited whisper-yell.</p><p>"<em>*Gasp* No…</em>"</p><p>"<em>Uh huh. She's freaking huge. I can't believe we haven't heard about it."</em></p><p>"<em>I guess she hasn't been telling people. —Because that's not suspicious, hmmm?</em>"</p><p>"<em>That's crazy. That is the last thing I would have expected to hear—</em>"</p><p><em>Really?</em> Jareth wondered. Not to insult his —truly delightful— little belle, but she wasn't what one would call conservative —let alone conscientious— on the night (in all its terrible infamy) in question…</p><p>"<em>How far along is she?"</em></p><p>"<em>Oh, I don't know. She looks about ready to pop, though.</em>"</p><p>"<em>Didn't we see her at Christmas? She didn't look pregnant to me</em>."</p><p>"<em>Right? She can't be that far along. She must not be carrying it very well —poor thing. I feel bad for what she'll look like at term</em>."</p><p>"<em>I guess the more weight you gain, the harder it is to drop afterwards. Just look at Mable—"</em></p><p>And now Jareth's eye twitched. It wasn't that he was offended by what they were saying, because they were clearly wrong, but was genuinely confused. The <em>only</em> place Sarah had put on weight was in her stomach (excluding the minor, but downright sensuous, additions to her bosom and backside). In curiosity, he thought over every supple inch of that woman, trying to find even a hint of what they were deriding, and —completely inadvertently, mind you— only felt himself <em>stirring</em>.</p><p>In an effort to distract himself, he took a sip of that god awful beer.</p><p>"<em>So who's the father? I didn't know she was seeing anyone. She and Henry looked pretty chummy at the Christmas party.</em>"</p><p>Oh? And who was this? —he'd save that inquiry for later.</p><p>"<em>No way. At least...I don't think? Janelle said she brought some guy with her, so I assume him. I didn't see him, though—</em>"</p><p>"<em>Oh, I did</em>," said the second woman.</p><p>"<em>Yeah? Well? Spill!</em>"</p><p>"<em>He's pretty hot. I wasn't expecting it. I always pictured her shacking up with some short, scrubby guy</em>."</p><p>The expression Jareth made in reaction to that had no proper name. He only shook his head to rid himself of it.</p><p>"<em>I guess he's foreign. From Europe or something—</em>"</p><p>"<em>Whoa. What? Seriously?</em>"</p><p>"<em>Uh huh. I guess he talked to Janelle and he's got a super hot accent n' everything</em>."</p><p>"<em>He was really well dressed too. Like, seriously. You know what that means</em>."</p><p>There was no reply to that. If Jareth had to guess, which he did, he'd say the girl speaking was rubbing her fingers together in the universal, and rather crass, signal of wealth.</p><p>"<em>Where did she even meet a guy like that? Isn't she kind of stuffy?</em>"</p><p>What? Who were these women even talking about? Certainly not his Sarah.</p><p>"<em>I don't know. Good for her though. Got him bagged n' tagged with that baby</em>."</p><p>Jareth arched a brow. He'd give them that one.</p><p><em>"I wonder how long it'll last,</em>" said the third girl, the only one whose tone sounded sympathetic.</p><p>"<em>Pff. God if I know. She probably had to beg him to come here today. I wouldn't have bothered if I was her. I'd be mortified to bring a guy like that home to...this</em>."</p><p>His brow slowly tightened at that. There was a point when jealousy became just plain ugly.</p><p>"<em>Ha! As if you'd ever even have the choice</em>," exclaimed the second woman. "<em>Good for her, I say. So what if she keeps a few extra pounds? She's got that guy for life now</em>."</p><p>Why were they so invested in her weight?</p><p>"<em>Where is she anyway? This house isn't that big</em>," said the third.</p><p>"<em>In the dining room, I think. I saw her laying out food with Courtney</em>."</p><p>"<em>Wait. You mean in the white dress? That was Sarah?</em>"</p><p>"<em>Did you forget what she looks like?</em>"</p><p>"<em>No. I just...saw her from behind. I couldn't even tell she was pregnant</em>."</p><p>"<em>Yeah, the dress flatters her, I'll say that much —even if it is tacky as all get out. I mean, it's kind of funny when you think about it. Unmarried, pregnant, wearing a white dress on Easter of all holidays.</em>"</p><p>"<em>Yeah, but Sarah doesn't practice, does she?</em>"</p><p>"<em>Clearly not. I didn't see her in church —probably afraid Father Devros would scold her</em>."</p><p>Ah, this again. Sarah had mentioned something similar earlier. What exactly was the correlation? He never cared for Aboveground religions, but was now wondering if it was something worth investigating. White symbolized purity —that he knew was shared in both their cultures. So...did being unmarried and pregnant make her impure in their eyes? How ridiculous. To his people, there could be nothing more pure than the propagation of life.</p><p>Ugh —humans.</p><p>All this commentary was starting to irk him. Perhaps he should step forward and explain to them the truth of the matter…</p><p>"<em>Oh, look! There she is. Sarah!</em>"</p><p>One of them (the second woman?) called out Sarah's name loudly across the room. Jareth glanced over sharply. She'd just entered the living room from the far side.</p><p>"<em>Hey! Oh my God, come here!</em>" The second woman beaconed Sarah over with, to him, a completely transparent sense of enthusiasm. He felt his mouth form a hard line, though he had yet to step out of the hall and make his presence known.</p><p>Sarah, on her way back to save Jareth from the kitchen, stopped mid-step at the sound of her name. Her cousin Isabelle was waving at her —sitting with her sister Stacy, and their cousin Marie (yes, Sarah had <em>many</em> female cousins). Surprised to have been called over, Sarah smiled as she promptly joined them.</p><p>"Hey guys. It's been a while."</p><p>"Clearly," Isabelle said, darting wide eyes at Sarah's stomach. "I had no idea you were expecting. Congratulations."</p><p>Sarah smiled quickly and placed a bashful hand to her stomach.</p><p>"Oh...yeah. Thanks."</p><p>"How far along are you?" asked Stacy.</p><p>"Um...six months, give or take."</p><p>"Oh wow. You've still got a ways to go."</p><p>That comment would have been innocent had Jareth not just overheard the hidden insult threaded within. He started to scowl at the floor.</p><p>"Yeah...yeah...I feel huge already. I am <em>not</em> looking forward to week thirty-nine." Sarah laughed, but it was a hollow sound that Jareth had come to recognize as self-deprecative.</p><p>"I like your dress by the way. It's very pretty. Where did you get it?"</p><p>"Oh. Thanks. Um...Macy's, actually. It's nothing special—"</p><p>Oh women. Why could they not just be honest with their bitterness? He would have had more respect, at the very least, for that. He set his drink down on a decorative table and walked into the room.</p><p>"Ah, there you are, darling," Jareth said, calling over Sarah's (and everyone else's) attention. Sarah turned to greet him. "I've been looking for you, you know. I was starting to suspect you abandoned me."</p><p>He smiled and took hold of both her hands —the farcical display of pleasantry lacking one actual halo. Sarah's brows knitted in the center as her eyes widened. What in the…</p><p>"What? Of course not. I was just on my way to find you," she replied, forced to keep her eyes to the side to cover up the reality that, yes, she may have kind of pounced on the opportunity to scuttle the fuck out of that awkward ass kitchen. Oh, how that foreboding smile of his unnerved her. The fact that they could see through each other so easily wouldn't have phased her...if they didn't have an audience.</p><p>Jareth's hands let go of hers and lightly held her hips instead. Sarah felt herself blush —if not from that, then definitely from the <em>shameless</em> way he was looking at her. Oh God, was this her punishment?</p><p>"...what?" she asked, shying away and glancing at her gaggle of cousins, each of whom were watching with a cinematic level of anticipation.</p><p>"Nothing," Jareth said, then flickered his eyes down. "I just like looking at you."</p><p>Oh —that subtext. Sarah felt it readily. She clenched her jaw as visions of her apartment floor sped feverishly behind her eyes.</p><p>With a gulp (and a hand unwittingly pressed against his chest), she turned starkly away and addressed the crowd.</p><p>"Um, so this is Jareth," she said, awkward as fuck, with an equally awkward hand gesture. Jareth placed a hand to the small of her back as he also turned towards the trio. "Jareth, these are my cousins: Isabelle, Stacy, and Marie."</p><p>Jareth's eyes moved like razors over the three seated women, quick to identify the owner of each duplicitous voice and thus the order in which he detested them.</p><p>"A pleasure," he said, short but not sweet.</p><p>The three ladies gawked, each bearing a slight, yet different, resemblance to Sarah.</p><p>"Hi," was the general response.</p><p>The oldest of them, Stacy, whom he'd determined was also the most distasteful, looked somewhat irritated as she stared, brazenly, at him. Alas, years of being surrounded by court women taught him that was <em>just her face. </em>He actually cracked a grin as he looked away in favor of Sarah.</p><p>In a very unbridled, though not <em>particularly</em> uncharacteristic display of public affection, Jareth took hold of her by the waist again and turned her towards him, casually embracing her as he spoke.</p><p>"Why don't you give me a tour. I'd like to be alone with you for a bit."</p><p>If Sarah was a tea kettle, she would have boiled over. Wh—what the hell was he doing? Did he not realize how embarrassing this was? And...was he playing up his accent? Why was he radiating <em>princely</em>? Was he secretly mad that she'd left him? What a freaking sadist!</p><p>"Um. Okay. Sure," she said, meekly brushing her hair behind her ear as she took his hand and led him away. She spared an apologetic and thoroughly mortified shrug to her cousins, who only stared back with deftly arched brows and <em>two</em> happily gaping mouths.</p><p>Sarah, knowing the last thing Jareth cared for was a tour of her old house, brought him to a secluded hallway leading to the guest bedroom. This area of the house was quieter, safe from prying eyes and ears.</p><p>"So um, what the hell was that?" she asked. Turning around to face him had been a miscalculation. He grabbed her by the jaw and pulled her in for a kiss. She murmured in surprise, bracing her hands against his chest before pushing away. "W-what has gotten into you?" she asked, looking concerned more than anything. "I'm sorry I left you alone with my dad. He didn't say anything stupid, did he?"</p><p>Jareth laughed. It was soft and subdued, but a laugh nonetheless. The hand holding her face moved upward, his thumb stroking her temple as his free hand joined to mirror the gesture on the other side.</p><p>He didn't answer her questions, merely pulled her forward —more gently— into another kiss.</p><p>She didn't fight back this time, closing her eyes despite curling her fingers into his shirt.</p><p>He held her there, in that position, until she acknowledged his intentions. The feeling conveyed was not retaliation, but relief. She ended up sighing as her shoulders relaxed.</p><p>He brushed his nose against hers when they pulled away.</p><p>"Everything is fine," he said, then tilted his head. "Though I <em>will </em>seek vengeance for your treachery."</p><p>Sarah's eyes widened immensely on a sharp inhale.</p><p>"I know. God. I'm sorry. I hate when he gets like that. I suck for leaving you there with him. But...you survived, right? I didn't hear any screaming, so…"</p><p>"He cares about you a great deal," Jareth said, turning her head back to face him when she looked away. "As do I. It's only natural there would be some...friction."</p><p>That look was dead serious and much too close to her face. Sarah blinked as she stared into his eyes, only feeling more insecure.</p><p>She bit the inside of her lip before responding.</p><p>"I know. That's why...I thought it would be okay to leave. Karen told me my dad wanted to speak with you in private at some point, so...can I ask what he said?"</p><p>The look on her face said she had plenty of her own ideas as to the possible answer to that question. It would be rather tactless of him to grin right now, wouldn't it?</p><p>"He expressed his views on our current relationship and asked my intentions."</p><p>Sarah swallowed, her eyes lowering as a quibble of nerves sprung forth.</p><p>"Oh," she said, with considerable restraint. Then, after wetting her lower lip, looked up at him tentatively. "So...what are your intentions?"</p><p>Jareth quirked a brow. Sarah let go of his shirt to knot her fingers.</p><p>"We've just...never actually talked about that," Sarah went on, recoiling ever so subtly as uncertainty took hold. "I've...been thinking about it recently. I was worried he may ask you something like that, so…"</p><p>"So?"</p><p>"So...I get if everything you told them was just for show," she said, changing directions out of pure cowardice. "All that stuff about moving and traveling and being there..."</p><p>Jareth tilted his head very slowly.</p><p>"Do you think I was bolstering?"</p><p>"I...um…" And then, amidst her skepticism, she managed to look up and lock eyes with him with a contrasting sense of conviction. "I don't know."</p><p>Jareth was still grasping her face; she removed his hands from her and took a step back.</p><p>"I'm...very appreciative of everything you've done for me. The way you've opened up your home has been….incredible. The people there have been nothing but kind. It's been...more than I could hope for. So…" And she glanced away with a wince. "So I haven't pushed my luck. I've been….trying not to think too much about it."</p><p>"About what?"</p><p>"Our <em>current relationship</em>," she replied, mimicking his tone. "And your...intentions."</p><p>She peered up like that word might sting; her hands, holding his low in the space between them, squeezed tighter.</p><p>"I...I don't want a shotgun wedding —as much as it would please my father. But...the more involved this gets...the more I would like to know...where we actually stand in all of it. Am I...your mistress? Concubine? Am I just some random chick who's going to give you an heir? Your people all call me <em>My Lady</em> and bow like they need to. And...well...the way we've been living has been pretty...intense. So I just...I don't know if I'm getting ahead of myself or if—"</p><p>She cut herself short at the sound of him laughing at her. It was low, repressed to the back of his throat. Regardless of its volume, the way she found him smirking down at her was amply inciting. She frowned and scowled, afraid she'd just made a huge fool of herself—</p><p>He quieted down when she started to puff up. Oh, how those lips loved to pout.</p><p>"It's about time you started showing some interest," Jareth said, surprising her by reaching up to tenderly stroke her hair. Sarah fought off a gape.</p><p>"I don't understand…"</p><p>"I honestly didn't think it would take this long," he went on, still <em>so</em> delighted at her expense. Sarah's scowl worsened.</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"For you to realize that answer for yourself. For you to even <em>ask</em>."</p><p>"How...how can you expect me to just ask?" she countered, frowning despite the way his hand trailed affectionately down her arm. "You've been so good to me. Like, <em>so good</em>. I can't help but worry...it's because of that wish." And she folded her arms defensively. "I keep thinking you're only with me in order to fulfill my wish —ensuring my happiness and all that. I don't want...to compel you."</p><p>"So, what you're really saying is that you <em>still</em> don't trust me?"</p><p>"What? No—"</p><p>"Sarah."</p><p>He spoke candidly but with intention. Sarah looked up at him.</p><p>"It's been a long day, so I'll disregard this very silly attitude of yours," he said, and gave her a knowing eye. "Firstly, I agreed to the contract. I'm the one who told you to form it, remember?" She was pouting again, looking so young with round eyes and a reddened lower lip. He held her by the waist and tugged her closer. "Secondly, I hope that, by now, you've come to know my nature. I wouldn't agree to terms that don't align with my interests or that, in this case, I wasn't already planning on fulfilling anyway."</p><p>The stiffness in her posture waned, but her skepticism remained. Jareth exhaled softly through his nose, then tightened his grip as his hands moved higher up her back.</p><p>"Third, fourth, and fifth," he said, speaking more intimately as he inclined his head down to her. "—I like you. I <em>want</em> you. And, I dare say, I may even love you."</p><p>His hands splayed possessively on the center of her back as they moved up over her shoulder blades. Her own hands had gone back to his shirt, by now wrinkling it beyond salvation. He had her pressed flush against him now, her head tilting back as he leaned down as if to kiss her.</p><p>He did. And it was chaste. It wouldn't have been, but she didn't react. She was too caught off guard. Too triggered by that word and the hot stirring it caused in her chest. Her heart thumped loudly. She wasn't ready for that. Wasn't ready and stupidly about to cry.</p><p>She licked her lips when he withdrew, her expression not nearly as demure as he'd expected it to be. She looked livid. —now <em>that</em> was more like her.</p><p>"You mean it?" she asked. Jareth grinned.</p><p>"Who better suited for the privilege than you?" he teased. Sarah smiled and peered away.</p><p>"No one," she said, reliving dangerous caresses under broken shadow and green, laser light. Her hands released his shirt and moved up around his neck. "I love you too," she said, and leaned up on her toes.</p><p>This kiss was longer, without care. Karen and her cousins could have been there taking snapshots and it wouldn't have mattered. Her hands moved into his hair. Her head turned to accommodate new angles. She would have let it drag on and on, but, at some point, he pulled away.</p><p>He smirked at her, eyes filled with mist and lingering amusement. Sarah didn't get why he was still laughing at her.</p><p>"I'd like to answer your question now," he said, so cheekily. Sarah drew back.</p><p>"Which question?"</p><p>"About my intentions and our <em>current</em> relationship."</p><p>There was peculiar emphasis in those words. Sarah turned her head slightly as she regarded him.</p><p>"...okay?"</p><p>"I have no plans of marrying you," he said, point-blank. Sarah's eyes darted to the left.</p><p>"Oh. Okay." —those words were also point-blank, but with a higher (now guarded) pitch.</p><p>Jareth's grin widened devilishly.</p><p>"Care to know why?"</p><p>Sarah hesitated. Did she?</p><p>"Um...sure?"</p><p>He reached up and pinched the corners of her jaw, bringing their faces closer together so he could stare her in the eye.</p><p>"Because we're <em>already</em> married."</p><p>Sarah blinked.</p><p>Huh?</p><p>"You never once questioned why my people have been treating you with so much deference?" he asked. Sarah's eyes darted to the right. "—Why they're nothing less than eager to please?"</p><p>"Um. I mean, I have…"</p><p>"I told you, your arrival was going to be seen as exciting."</p><p>"W-wait a minute," she cut him off, raising a hand between them and taking half a step back. "When exactly did we get married? I don't recall participating in anything like that." —nor did she recall Jareth ever asking, but she'd get to that in a minute.</p><p>Jareth tilted his head and looked at her in a way that was not at all in accordance with her bewilderment.</p><p>"My people generally live for a very long time," he said. Sarah nodded.</p><p>"Uh huh…"</p><p>"It is understood that, because of this, we have difficulty reproducing. Nature must be balanced."</p><p>"Okay…"</p><p>She stared at him on the precipice of some internal epiphany or meltdown, and the way it translated through her tight expression and guarded, highly expectant words, he thought, was <em>adorable</em>.</p><p>"There is a practice among my people. A rather...romantic bit of sentimentality," he said, intentionally building up her nerves as he took half a step forward to replace the one she'd taken away. "We believe that the person with whom we are able to procreate with is designed by Fate, or Nature, or whomever. They are our...soulmate, if you will."</p><p>She was looking very skittish as he said that. He grinned on one side and lifted his hands to stroke her cheeks.</p><p>"I told you, I have no children. And, believe me, there have been <em>many</em> opportunities." He glanced down as some thought came to mind. Sarah waited for him to continue attentively. "I was shocked when you called for me on Yule. Those words —from anyone— let alone you, My Champion, were the last thing I expected."</p><p>Sarah's jaw clenched. His proximity and hushed tone were making her emotional. It didn't help that the baby had started to kick.</p><p>"Okay. But...that still doesn't answer—"</p><p>"My kind believes in this grand design without question," he quickly replied. "There is no ceremony. No politics. No propriety. You may consider the <em>conception</em> as our wedding." Sarah shut up. This was a lot to unload on her at a family picnic. "With that said, because I am royalty, there is an odd interlude in regards to your coronation. As of now, you are my wife, but not my queen —which is why they call you <em>My Lady</em>. The coronation….will be regarded as the moment you give birth."</p><p>Sarah blinked. Some kids ran by the mouth of the hallway, but she didn't care. He was still embracing her, lightly by all description, but still compromising to the wandering eye. And yet, she just blinked. Totally blindsided.</p><p>"I…" she started, and then her brain caught up. "Well, what if you don't actually <em>like</em> your soulmate? You're telling me you're forced to be together just because some happy swimmer got lucky?!"</p><p>Oh my, she sounded a little flustered.</p><p>"You make it sound irrational," he said sardonically. Sarah scoffed.</p><p>"What if you don't want to be together? What if you knock up one person and then fall in love with another? You're just...just stuck for life?"</p><p>"Because such practices are so uncommon in your world."</p><p>"This isn't funny, Jareth," she said, conveying real vexation. "I just said I didn't want a shotgun wedding. I just told you I was afraid that you're only with me out of obligation or compulsion, and now you tell me that is <em>exactly</em> the case? Jesus…" And she shook her head as she glared to the side. "And what about consent? Did you not think I might want to be asked to marry you? Or, you know, just be clued in on what was happening? Oh my God. They must all think I'm an idiot—"</p><p>"Sarah…" Jareth said, his tone placating but not without the faintest inflection of amusement. She scowled when he turned her face to look at him again. "I didn't tell you because I did not want <em>you</em> to feel obligated," he said. Sarah arched a brow. "You're a human and a Champion. Me or mine cannot force you to do anything, and neither do I want to. I cannot stop you from leaving if this is a path you do not wish to take. With that said, in my people's eyes, we <em>are</em> married. Period." And his eyes followed the movement of his hand as he lightly stroked her hair. "Your concern for compatibility is valid, which is why I'll say this again," and his eyes shifted over to look her straight in the eye. "<em>I'm glad it was you</em>."</p><p>Sarah frowned. He looked so sincere. She, however, had no idea how to feel. This was nuts. This was...monumental. And it was….the end she was probably hoping to head towards anyway…</p><p>"So...we're soulmates? Seriously?" she asked, then shook her head. "What does that even mean—"</p><p>"That hardly matters," Jareth said. Sarah pursed her lips. "I can't say whether or not there's any truth behind the custom. The fact that, after five centuries of living a definitively decadent lifestyle without <em>any </em>manner of fruition, I happened to conceive with someone —whom I also had an unwarranted and peculiarly erotic interest in— <em>could</em> be mere coincidence. Regardless, it's extremely convenient —as far as precedents go."</p><p>He paused to give her the chance to respond. She didn't.</p><p>"You look disappointed," Jareth said, arching a brow at her. "Would you rather something different?"</p><p>Sarah glanced down. Oh geez. Here comes more of that pesky, leftover teenage angst again.</p><p>"I just…"</p><p>She couldn't say it. Even in her own head, it sounded incredibly spoiled.</p><p>A canny smirk flickered one corner of Jareth's mouth.</p><p>"You were hoping for more romance, weren't you?" he asked. Sarah's cheeks flushed red. "A grand proposal? A field of flowers? A galaxy filled with fireworks? ...A nauseatingly <em>loving</em> design?"</p><p>He was teasing her now —hovering on the border of laughing <em>with</em> and <em>at</em> her. Sarah scowled in displeasure.</p><p>After a moment, he withdrew. His expression humbled and his touch turned tender.</p><p>"Very well then." And he blinked slowly. "Tell me what you want."</p><p>Sarah looked down at his throat. She was fiddling with the button there. To be honest, she was still reeling from their first <em>I love you</em>, and now he'd gone and dumped all this on her too.</p><p>So he really meant it? This was...okay? Being with her...by <em>Fate</em> or not...was what he wanted?</p><p>"I...want to have a proper ceremony," she said, matter of factly. "—and it will probably be weird and uncanny and farcically Catholic. And I want a house in this world —nothing too fancy— somewhere close enough for my parents to visit but….far enough away that they have to schedule ahead first." Her train of thought slowed and her eyes widened as she said that last bit, then got back on track. "I want to live with you in the Underground, but...I also want life in both worlds to be normalized for our kid."</p><p>She refused to look at him while she made her demands. It was all for the best. She would have smacked him for the way he pretentiously nodded along.</p><p>She seemed to hit a wall after that. Jareth smirked and gave her a push.</p><p>"Anything else?"</p><p>Sarah scowled.</p><p>"I...I don't know right now," she said, then peered up guardedly. "—Maybe."</p><p>She didn't trust the way he was looking at her. Didn't trust it precisely because she knew what it meant, and that it had absolutely no place in the current atmosphere. His hands moved down her arms, then gripped her by the hips, the fabric of her dress inching up because of it. He pulled her a little closer —and she let him.</p><p>"Hm...and what will you give me in return?" he asked.</p><p>"...what do you want?"</p><p>Oh, so cautious she was. Still so very skeptical and untrusting. He taunted her by averting his eyes and taking two seconds too long to deliberate.</p><p>"Show me your room," he said.</p><p>Sarah's brow furrowed.</p><p>"Huh? You mean here?"</p><p>Jareth nodded.</p><p>"Why?"</p><p>"I want the rest of my tour. Surely, a small price for all those lofty desires of yours."</p><p>Sarah drew back. Turned her head and narrowed her eyes. Such terms were highly suspect and clearly baited. Her little eyes did their best to burrow deep into his psyche and pull out whatever it was he was planning.</p><p>"Okay…." she finally said, and slowly turned away.</p><hr/><p>The way she led him through the house was casual yet entirely conspicuous. She held his hand, walking slightly in front of him like a woman on a mission. Really, her only thought was for the stairwell. It was, rather flagrantly, located in the foyer. There were a lot of people there when they'd first arrived, and she had <em>no good reason</em> to be bringing him up upstairs.</p><p>Thankfully the room was empty. The house, curiously, was now quiet. Her ears tensed on an echo from the backyard. It seemed they were all preparing for the kids' scavenger hunt.</p><p>She brought him up the stairs and into further quietude. The door to her old room was closed. The knob creaked obnoxiously as she turned it.</p><p>She pushed it open, then suddenly turned back to Jareth with an edge of accusation.</p><p>"...you're not thinking what I think you're thinking, right?" she asked.</p><p>Jareth's grin, so coy, could not be discerned.</p><p>"Tell me what you're thinking and I'll decide."</p><p>Their locked stare conveyed a challenge. Sarah gulped as she turned back around and ushered him into the room.</p><p>"So...this is it," she said, with an anticlimactic hand gesture. Jareth took two considerably <em>aloof</em> steps into the room.</p><p>It was different from when she'd lived there —converted into another tasteful guest room. The walls were bare, and the fixings plain and pleasantly floral. The only clue to the room's history was the furniture —the bed, dresser, and vanity being Sarah's own.</p><p>Jareth looked all around as Sarah closed the door quietly behind them, then made a contemplative hum.</p><p>"I was expecting...more," he said. Sarah cocked a brow.</p><p>"Expecting or hoping?" she countered, crossing her arms as she came around to stand next to him. "I moved out ten years ago. I think Karen chucked all my old posters and teddy bears by week two."</p><p>She started to grin as she stared at Jareth —his mouth pursed in obvious disappointment as he openly mused.</p><p>"You look a little put off," she teased him. "Was there perhaps a reason you wanted to come here?"</p><p>Jareth, eyes flickering in accordance to her tone, peered at her from the side.</p><p>"Nostalgia," he said, vaguely. —And then he turned towards her, tilted his head as some new scheme came to mind. "Close your eyes," he said. Sarah, suppressing a cheeky grin, complied.</p><p>"Okay."</p><p>"Now, imagine this room the way it used to be."</p><p>One of her brows arched but she said nothing, doing as he said and mulling over which version of her adolescence she preferred best. A few seconds passed, and then he spoke again.</p><p>"Good. Now open."</p><p>First the left, then them both. Sarah opened her eyes and peered curiously from left to right, not at all surprised by what met her.</p><p>The paper on the walls was different —obscured by a collage of taped and cheaply framed posters. Behind her hung a cabinet of pseudo-collectible plushies. Her old school work desk was idling in the previously bare corner, her vanity once again littered with a chaotic assortment of makeup and loose hair ties.</p><p>She nearly huffed when glancing over at the bed. She remembered that quilt —its actual self was folded in a storage bag shoved into the depths of her closet back at her apartment.</p><p>"Hm…" Jareth hummed again, pulling her from her gander. "That's better."</p><p>"Is it?" Sarah replied, rolling her eyes as she laughed to herself, and took a couple large steps towards him. "I think I know why you brought me here. You're a little fucked up, you know that?"</p><p>Jareth shrugged innocently.</p><p>"I have no idea what you mean," he said, then tilted his head languidly. "By the way...have I told you how lovely you look in that dress?"</p><p>Oh, he wasn't even trying to defend himself. Sarah's smile widened while her feet took the final step forward.</p><p>"No, I don't think you have," she replied, staring at him cannily as one brow arched.</p><p>Jareth reached out and unfolded her arms, slyly maneuvering his own behind her back as his face lowered to her neck.</p><p>"I prefer you in white," he whispered, and her neck arched against a sensual kiss. "And black. And green striped with red. But…" And those shrewd, warm lips moved slowly up to her cheek. "I prefer you most in nothing at all."</p><p>His breath made those words rumble in her ear. Her hands, with designs of their own, had moved around his back. She blinked slowly and tried turning her head towards him.</p><p>"You seriously...want to mess around in my childhood bed?" she asked —without the least hint of disapproval. Jareth grinned into her hair.</p><p>"Mhm…"</p><p>He traced his nose along hers while moving to the other side of her neck, planting soft kisses there as his hands worked up the skirt of her dress.</p><p>"That's kinda messed up...I think."</p><p>"Are you objecting?" he asked. Sarah, managing the discomfort building between her legs, scowled as she nuzzled his neck and then nipped it.</p><p>"Hardly."</p><p>No sooner was the word uttered did the sharp sound of a lock startle her. She glanced over at the door, oblivious to the backpedaling of her own legs as Jareth guided her towards the bed.</p><p>"Did you…" she murmured, then had to clutch his shoulders when she nearly lost balance. "There's no lock on that door."</p><p>She pulled back and looked at him quite sternly. Jareth's grin curled as his thumbs dipped under the hem of her underwear.</p><p>"There is now," he said and gently tugged.</p><p>Sarah gulped. This was more dangerous than the basement. The walls up here were thin. The view of suburban street outside was left unobstructed by the large window and its bright, crystal-clear pane.</p><p>She licked her lips and shimmed out of her panties as Jareth inched them down her thighs —catching a bit of perverse thrill from the sight of black, glass eyes staring back at her from the wall behind him. Oh, what if? she caught herself wondering. What if that night had somehow played out differently and ended...well…</p><p>Oh, how scandalous.</p><p>And maybe he was thinking the same. Maybe such nastiness was precisely why he'd agreed to come in the first place. <em>You know my nature,</em> he'd said. Yes. The King of Goblins accepted terms <em>only</em> that aligned with <em>his</em> interest. A fair price, she determined —wondering what daydreams he would offer her next if she took initiative and dug out her old school uniform.</p><p>His tongue curled into her mouth as he kissed her, his eyes closed while his hand grazed up her thigh.</p><p>She whimpered when the pad of his middle finger touched her clit, then moved back in a little jolt as that finger pressed harder before moving down to spread her. The back of her knees were hitting the bed, though his hand at the small of her back kept her from sitting.</p><p>She shifted in her spot, her breathing turning audible as his hand curled and he slid one long finger inside.</p><p>She'd been told some women preferred celibacy when pregnant —but she was not one of them. Whether or not that was a good thing, however, was still up in the air. It didn't take much —if her attack on him earlier that day was any indication. She thought about it constantly, her mind melting day by day into some crass, Freudian fantasy. She even thought she might be perpetually wet —a big thank you to those oh so lovely hormones pumping in violent excess through her hotblooded veins. It made her vulnerable and volatile, unraveling her inhibition at even the slightest caresses.</p><p>And oh, how Jareth <em>loved</em> to tease her about it. To play with her and her new sense of carnal delicacy. He moved his hand slowly as her fluids built around him, coating his knuckles and making the rhythmic sound both louder and undeniably <em>wet</em>.</p><p>Her breathing picked up, forced through her nose lest she moan. When her cheeks began to flush, he pulled his hand away and turned her around.</p><p>"Grab that pillow," he said, apparently unable to do so while his hands instead groped at her ass. She leaned forward across the bed and pulled it back —then felt him help her situate it under her stomach.</p><p>Sex had become inventive in recent days —books and recommendations from friends being her godsend. She was limited in the number of positions she could comfortably be in —but, thankfully, that hadn't seemed to dull the experience.</p><p>She let her weight rest against the pillow, keeping the pressure off her midsection as she held herself on bent elbows. Jareth lifted each of her legs and wedged a knee into the edge of the mattress, then took a moment to admire that wanton view, with its <em>particular</em> setting, for all it was worth.</p><p>Her fingers curled into the quilt as she listened to the sound of him undoing his belt.</p><p>She felt his hand on her ass pushing the skirt of her dress up and out of the way. Made a sweet noise of surprise when the other spread and explored her. Two fingers now. Moving in and out. Fucking her deep as she undulated back to meet each thrust.</p><p>"Do you want another pillow?" he asked. Sarah swallowed hard as she tried to respond casually.</p><p>"No. I'm good."</p><p>Jareth withdrew his fingers, ran them up and down her slit, and then pushed back in again.</p><p>"Really? Not even that adorable blue dinosaur?"</p><p>Sarah lowered her head and chuckled.</p><p>"I think you just want to see me hug it while we fuck," she said, glancing back wryly. Jareth tilted his head, his ghostly smirk steeled.</p><p>She arched a brow at him.</p><p>He popped open the button on his slacks.</p><p>"I think…" Jareth said, then slid the zipper down. "For all your deriding little quips, this particular fantasy is turning you on just as much as I."</p><p>He was still moving his fingers inside of her, staring her dead in the eye as he freed and stroked himself. Sarah's mouth opened and she licked her lip, eyes wide and darting between his face and his <em>hand</em> as she rocked.</p><p>He was hard. Well, obviously. But still, it was a sight worth noting. His left hand fisted around his cock and pumped it, twisting at the head before going back down. She got to watch him lengthen. Got to watch his brow tighten and the veins in his wrist expand.</p><p>She turned around sharply, hands fisting in the quilt as she stared ahead at that stupid stegosaurus.</p><p>She braced herself, pushing back instinctively when he pressed the head of his cock to her entrance and moved it in a little circle.</p><p>"Well?" she heard him ask. "What say you, kitten? Is this too <em>obscene</em> for you?"</p><p>He stared down at her open cunt as he pushed just one aching centimeter inside. It frustrated her. He could tell from the way her knees fidgeted. Focusing on the way her tender flesh spread for him was an act of self sabotage. He forgot that he was supposed to be teasing her and thrust deeper inside.</p><p>Sarah moaned —louder than she'd anticipated. Immediately, a hand sprang to cover her own mouth as she smothered her face into the bed. Jareth groaned, gripping her ass with one hand as he fucked her with just the head.</p><p>"What was that? I don't think the neighbors heard you."</p><p>Sarah grumbled through her nose and tried pushing herself back, but every time he was quick to do the same. She was getting bothered now. Irritated.</p><p>"Jareth—"</p><p>"Yes?"</p><p>"Please just—"</p><p>"Just what, love?"</p><p>Oh, that arrogance. If she had an adequate center of gravity, she'd have flung herself around and tackled him to the floor.</p><p>He thrust in even deeper —just once— just to hear the high-pitched squeal he knew she would make. Her insides left him hot and coated. Left him tense and equally frustrated. He was not ready to reveal this to her, however. He wanted her seething.</p><p>"J-Jareth— I want you to—"</p><p>"To what? Stop?" he said, and paused just shy of anything she might be able to find stimulating. "Because this is <em>pretty fucked up</em>, right—"</p><p>Sarah, so thoroughly exasperated and ready to murder him, reached out, yanked back that mortifying maya blue reptile and clutched it for dear life as she angled back and, with a clear cut glare, said,</p><p>"Shut the fuck up and just <em>fuck me</em> already."</p><p>Her fingers dug into the flesh of that pillow as his did her ass. She was practically snarling at him. <em>Seething</em>. Ah. There she was.</p><p>Jareth's wicked grin touched his eyes as a low rumble of laughter moved his chest. He took hold of her hips with both hands and pulled her back as he thrust fully inside.</p><p>Sarah braced against the pillow, turning away as she closed her eyes and focused. God, he could be infuriating. But, fuck, did he know how to mollify her. He filled her just right —just enough— with every thrust, his grip moving her to his pace so she was freed to just take it and enjoy.</p><p>She grimaced into the quilt, trying her best not to audibly moan lest someone reenter the house. Her knees inched further apart against every one of his movements, inadvertently pushing her stomach more firmly onto the bed.</p><p>Her muffled breath enflamed the polyester skin of her pillow plush —which she aggressively shoved out of the way. She pushed her face into the bed and bowed her back instead, reaching down to brace her stomach before the position became uncomfortable.</p><p>Seeing this, Jareth lifted her lower half and hoisted her into a higher stance.</p><p>The old springs in the mattress squealed, which sent a jolt of panic down Sarah's spine. Shit. She hadn't accounted for that. What if—</p><p>She was distracted by thoughts of exposure, so gasped in a delightful startle when he suddenly reared over her and dropped his weight onto the hand that sank into the bed just shy of her face. One of his knees had joined hers at the end of the mattress as well, their thighs firmly touching as they bracing together.</p><p>She wanted to do something. To reach out. To turn. To touch him. —but she couldn't. Her center of gravity was now in her head, her one hand now pinned between her abdomen and the pillow weakly supporting it.</p><p>She could hear the strain in his breathing now with his head so close. Feel his torrid breath flush over the back of her neck. He leaned down, falling to his forearm, and kissed the back of her shoulder.</p><p>He moaned so only she could hear, grasped her free hand with his and squeezed. She felt his other hand moving up and down her side, bunching up her dress in order to get at the skin underneath.</p><p>Sarah knew this part. Knew exactly what that hand would do next. He reached down, felt <em>firmly</em> around her rounded stomach, and held it. She didn't really get it —such fixation made her weirdly self conscious— but it was also empowering. He didn't become aroused despite her condition, he —quite often— became aroused <em>because</em> of it. He <em>adored</em> her growing body. Whether it was because of some form of primal male pride, or a genuine fetish, she would not ask. Regardless, the way he looked at her when in the throws was, at times, frightening in its intensity. Looking at her, touching her there, like this, turned him on. And, seeing him act so shamelessly, turned her on too.</p><p>She felt his heated chest pressing against her back as their figures contoured to one another. Heard his breath turn to moans as his hips moved in smaller, more poignant undulations. Feeling so constricted, so trapped, so enveloped by a man who apparently <em>loved</em> her, was enough to send her over the edge all on its own.</p><p>She reached down and placed her hand over his on her stomach, trying to harness that same provocative titillation that was unbridling him so wantonly. She was disturbed to find she succeeded —as fleeting a thought it was. Her muscles contracted, and they felt the baby kick under both their hands, and it— it was—</p><p>Sarah's entire body curled as she grimaced into the mattress and cried out, suffocating the sound of her orgasm to something (hopefully) only the threads of the quilt could hear..</p><p>And he was the same. His eyes were closed, and his body tensed, and he was being so fucking careful not to hurt her that it was sure to cripple him.</p><p>Her noises —her sweet, sensuous noises— oh, they undid him. He curled his head down and pressed his forehead flat against her shoulder, sweat beading on his brow as he came closer and closer to—</p><p>
  <em>STOMP. STOMP. STOMP.</em>
</p><p>"TOBY!"</p><p>Sarah shrieked. She covered her mouth and, with a mousy yelp, lurched forward on the bed. Jareth, so very fucking close to coming, actually flinched just as violently —ripped clear out of the beautiful haze of impending orgasm to the shrill sound of <em>Karen</em>.</p><p>"Toby?! Are you up there?!"</p><p>The yell came again, as did the sound of her feet rising several more steps up the stairs. Sarah panicked. The door to her room was just a few feet from the top of the stairwell—</p><p>Jareth, about ready to burn this fucking monstrosity of a divine comedy to the ground, gritted his teeth and growled into her hair.</p><p>"Tobias Williams! You better not be playing on that goddamned play station while all our family and friends are here!"</p><p>They heard, in perfect clarity, Karen and her immense displeasure as she stomped up the remaining stairs. The floorboards in the hall —just outside her door— creaked underfoot. Sarah gulped. They hadn't moved. And, as she shifted her attention back to Jareth, realized that he probably couldn't.</p><p>Oh dear.</p><p>She covered her mouth to keep herself from laughing.</p><p>"Toby!" Karen yelled just outside of their door.</p><p>"What!?" a voice yelled back —surprisingly deep. Sarah's ears flexed at the sound of something being thrown on the floor in her brother's room at the end of the hall. "What do you want? Why are you yelling?"</p><p>Toby's voice became clearer when he opened the door to his room. Sarah gulped again, so very thankful Jareth had the forethought to install a magic lock on the door.</p><p>"Did you not hear me? I've been calling your name for hours!"</p><p>Oh, hours, was it? Sarah quirked a brow.</p><p>"I had my headphones in. Jack and I are playing games. What's the big deal?"</p><p>"The <em>big deal</em> is that you don't need to be holed up in your room while your family is together celebrating. It's a beautiful day outside! Why don't you go throw a football or something."</p><p>"Ugh—"</p><p>"Don't you roll your eyes at me, young man!"</p><p>Sarah was listening to the bickering in the hall rather than the frustrated sighs of the man who still had his dick idling inside of her. —That was a mistake.</p><p>She didn't catch what Toby said next, too surprised by Jareth's hand suddenly clamping tightly around her mouth while he pinned her hip and carried on.</p><p>The sharpness of his movements commanded back her attention —one of her hands escaping down below to dart upward and grasp his wrist.</p><p>Her fingers made contact with the cold steel of his wristwatch, and she flinched back as if it'd shocked her —<em>oh...well that's an odd thing to be aroused by</em>, she thought.</p><p>"Fine. We'll come down after we finish this race—"</p><p>"No. No. You'll come down now. Your father is about to start the egg hunt —or are you suddenly too grown up for that?"</p><p>Jareth buried his face in the hair covering Sarah's neck, eyes screwed shut and focusing on anything that wasn't that incessant squawking. Twice now he'd been interrupted by that woman. One more inconvenience, and he'd zap them straight into a black hole if it meant he could finish in peace.</p><p>There was a moment of silence. Just one.</p><p>"Fine," Toby eventually said. "We'll come down. Happy?"</p><p>"Elated," Karen stated. They heard Toby huff and then the door to his room closed. Footsteps belonging to a third person could now be heard —presumably Jack, who lived a few houses down.</p><p>The floor groaned obnoxiously loud in a spot dangerously close by. Sarah stiffened as she judged that all three of them were now loitering directly outside her door.</p><p>She tried her best not to even breathe. One accidental shift, and a bent spring would ruin Easter a la Williams for all years to come.</p><p>"Hm…"</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"I thought your sister might be up here with you. Have you seen her? I'm worried your father might have scared her off."</p><p>"Huh? Sarah's here? Did she bring her new boyfriend?"</p><p>Fuccckkkk why were they just standing there? Jareth scowled and grimaced and snarled and fisted that ugly starched quilt in his hand. His cock was throbbing. Near in pain. There was no way he was stopping. No fucking way—</p><p>"<em>Jareth…</em>"</p><p>The sound of Sarah's voice distracted him. It was a whisper, a light caress that moved across his ear. He breathed heavily through his nose, focusing on her quiet, conscientious breaths. In actuality the sound was barely audible, but they were just so close. She kept her pitch high and subdued, playing up her arousal for <em>his</em> benefit. He didn't mind. No, in this instance, he might actually thank her.</p><p>Those little sounds, as soft as butterfly kisses, were soon to replace the prattle going on behind them. He felt his vexation lessen, felt her hot insides clenching around him, felt the throbbing of his cock and the pressure in his balls turn from stagnant pain to building pleasure.</p><p>She inched her hand up and grasped his, weaving her fingers through his tight fist until it yielded. His large hand enveloped hers and clutched it fiercely. He was rocking his hips acutely, serving himself as he hovered on that dangerous edge.</p><p>"<em>Jareth...please…</em>"</p><p>And he bit her.</p><p>He had no choice. A moan threatened to escape him with a compulsion more powerful than he would ever dare admit. His eyes screwed tighter shut, his body stilled and went rigid over hers. Her shoulder was squirming in the effort to escape his teeth, but it was futile. He had her locked like a dog.</p><p>He breathed laboriously through his nose as he silently came inside her, his right hand (still holding her stomach) supporting her upright lest the pressure of his body crush her. Oh, what a selfish moment that was —and so <em>thoroughly</em> satisfying.</p><p>His head cleared, coming out of the moment to the sound of footsteps receding down the stairs, and, simultaneously, heard Sarah sigh in relief. All was well, apparently. —as if being walked in on was something he even remotely cared about at this point.</p><p>"That was close—" he heard Sarah say in a hushed tone. Jareth unclenched his jaw and rested his forehead against her back.</p><p>"Your family irks me," he replied —bitterly.</p><p>Sarah chuckled.</p><p>"I'd be concerned if they didn't."</p><p>She shifted her hips, which prompted Jareth to pull out of her. He stood gradually, situating his pants before reaching down to take her hand.</p><p>"Was that alright?" he asked as he helped her to stand. Sarah, stiff from being locked in position, wobbled a little as the feeling came back to her hips.</p><p>"Yeah. I'm fine."</p><p>She placed a hand atop her stomach and smiled. It was a sweet vision. Innocent. The total opposite of the face she'd been making just minutes before.</p><p>"Good."</p><p>He ran a hand through his hair, which directed her eye to the sweat on his forehead and at the well of his throat. She had her own mess to take care of as well, presently running down her thigh. —Good thing her room had an adjoining bathroom.</p><p>She picked up her panties and headed for it, coming back and tossing Jareth a wetted hand towel.</p><p>"Here," she said as he caught it. Then her eyes glanced down to his yet to be buttoned pants. "—in case you need it."</p><p>She left the door open as she turned and went back inside, wiping down her thighs and analyzing the state of her face in the vanity mirror.</p><p>Jareth came to watch her a moment later, leaning against the frame of the doorway with his arms casually crossed.</p><p>"I can't believe you were able to keep going," she said, cracking a grin in the mirror. "I swear, you have loins of steel."</p><p>She gave him a flirty look via her reflection. Jareth grinned and tossed the used towel in a hamper beside him.</p><p>"I would say you flatter me, but alas —I am, literally, inhuman."</p><p>Sarah huffed and glanced down while turning off the faucet. She dried her hands and was about to step away —when she suddenly twitched. He watched her scowl in profile and raise a guarded hand to her stomach. Instinct compelled him to straighten, his attention focusing as she stepped back and winced.</p><p>"Are you alright?" he asked. Sarah forced herself to smile through it.</p><p>"Yeah...yeah."</p><p>"You sure?"</p><p>He was alarmed. She could hear it. She fought back the lingering ache and looked over at him reassuringly.</p><p>"Yes. It was just a kick —hit a nerve or kidney or something," she said, rubbing her hand over the culprit in question. "He's probably just mad he had to endure that twice in one day."</p><p>She smiled down at her stomach, which was enough to convince him. He huffed, taking a couple steps towards her and then kneeling down on the floor.</p><p>The action caught her off guard, leaving her to blink expectantly when he reached up and angled her hips towards him.</p><p>He held her by the waist, eyes fixed on her cotton covered navel as if he could actually see the little bugger wreaking havoc inside.</p><p>Her expression softened as she regarded the wayward look in his eye and the gentle touch of his thumbs caressing her sides.</p><p>He closed his eyes as he kissed her there, let it linger, then pulled back just enough to speak as he whispered into her skirt.</p><p>"Settle down, little one," he said, then, lest the moment be mistaken for something heartwarming, slanted his eyes up at her edaciously. "...or I'll do it again."</p><p>Sarah held back a laugh, for, as playful as he seemed, she knew he was dead serious. To add insult to injury, they felt a hard kick jab him square in the mouth in response. And now she could no longer hold back. She laughed as she reached out and ran her fingers though Jareth's hair.</p><hr/><p>"Alright. Alright! Quiet down! Is everyone here? Maddy? Jacob? Where's Matthew—oh, there you are. Okay. I think that's everyone….Now, are we ready to find some eggs?!"</p><p>Karen, glowing golden from atop her concrete step, positively beamed as she orchestrated the semi-manageable chaos of children and pre-teens viciously awaiting her signal. This was her favorite part of the day, without a doubt, seeing the children running so happily like in days long past.</p><p>The small crowd of siblings and cousins cheered, holding up their bags and baskets in tightfisted salutes as they jittered. Karen clapped her hands together, then thrust a pointed hand into the air.</p><p>"Annnndddd go!"</p><p>The children screamed, turned around and took off in a mad stampede. The Williams's yard was larger than most on the block. But, even still, no one doubted this spring time slaughter in patterned pastel would last longer than five minutes. But, oh, what precious five minutes those were.</p><p>Robert, having tied nephew Jeffry's shoe, achingly stood and sighed at the sight of his poor, disheveled lawn being brutally treaded all over.</p><p>"Isn't this nice, Robert?" Karen asked, sounding so dreamy. "Soon we'll be sending off our own grandchild like this. Won't that be nice?"</p><p>Robert stood stiffly with pursed lips.</p><p>"Uh huh."</p><p>"Hm...speaking of, I still can't find Sarah," Karen went on, oblivious to her husband's grumpy attitude. "Or Jareth for that matter. You don't think they left, do you?"</p><p>She looked at him worriedly. Seeing that expression made him feel like an ass. Well, more of one. His eyes flickered away, passed Karen, and landed on movement by the patio door.</p><p>"Isn't that them, there?" he asked, pointing with the tip of a beer bottle. Karen turned around with a heightened brow.</p><p>"Oh. Well look at that. Now what have they been doing?"</p><p>She watched them intently as they entered the yard, watched the way Sarah smiled and Jareth smiled back while shutting the door. She was holding his hand. Holding his one with both of her own. He said something that could not be heard and she laughed. She lit up. She stared up at him as he took a step forward, grasped the side of her face, and kissed her.</p><p>Karen felt her heart go a genuine flutter before reaching back and poking her husband.</p><p>"Do you see this, Robert?" she asked. Robert glanced back unguardedly —a countenance which immediately hardened when he saw a man's hands and mouth all over his daughter.</p><p>He made a noise of displeasure which Karen sharply glared back at.</p><p>"Oh, stop it. She's not a child," Karen snapped, actually reaching out and slapping his arm. Ne'er to be deterred, she ignored him and went back to spying. "Just look how happy she is. I haven't seen her like that in years. And doesn't he look just crazy about her?"</p><p>Karen was swooning, and swooning shamelessly at that. She placed a gentle hand to her heart and made that twisted pucker of a smile that only came out when she was genuinely pleased. Despite his conviction, that look affected Robert. He glanced over again impulsively.</p><p>Sarah was saying something sassy. He could tell by the arch in her brow. And <em>that man</em> was grinning like a scoundrel as he humored her.</p><p>Robert huffed and looked away.</p><p>"You really are a lost cause, aren't you?" Karen said with a huff of her own. "Well, <em>I</em> thought he was very charming. And so polite. He's got that old world feel about him—" Realizing bragging about Jareth's finer attributes wasn't going to win her husband over, she sighed through her nose and turned to address him more seriously. "Did you hear what I said? She's no little girl anymore. She knows what she's doing. So please...just try to be happy for her?"</p><p>Robert's brow drew together as he gripped his drink tighter.</p><p>"She'll always be my little girl, Karen," he said. Karen frowned.</p><p>"I know. But even still—" and she spared one more glance back at the happy couple.</p><p>Sarah had sat down in a wicker lawn chair while Jareth stood behind her. They were watching the kids but still talking. Jareth's hands gripped the back of her chair, he was looking down as he spoke. And Karen watched, with such ease in her heart, as Sarah tilted her head far back, smiled, and closed her eyes as he leaned down and kissed her. Oh goodness…</p><p>Karen looked away, feeling a peculiar satisfaction as she reached up and patted Robert on the back.</p><p>"Loosen up, dear. She's going to be just fine."</p><hr/><p>Sarah held onto Jareth's hand as she stared out over the lawn. She felt fine, but he'd <em>insisted</em> she take a moment to rest. He stood behind her, casually blocking the sun lest it offend her, so she was free to grin at his expense.</p><p>Her eyes traveled from one skipping, sprinting, tumbling child to the next, taking note of every carefree smile and exclamation of glee like the priceless, fleeting moments they were. She tugged on Jareth's hand and looked up at him.</p><p>"Pay close attention," she said, then pointed outward imperatively. "<em>This</em> is what a freaking egg hunt is supposed to be."</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N- so yeah, this had absolutely no relevance to Beltane lol. #notsorry. Happy Easter!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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